- The BMA has coordinated the three-day walkout, running from 7am this morning
- It previously demanded a 35% pay boost, while the Government has offered 12%
The union behind the junior doctors’ strike has been urged to ‘come back to the table’ and negotiate amid warnings their latest walkout has come at the ‘worst possible time’ for the health service.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has coordinated the three-day walkout, running from 7am this morning, in a bid for an even bigger pay rise than the 12 per cent already offered by the Government. It has previously demanded a 35 per cent boost.
Health leaders have warned that patients face being ‘stranded’ in hospitals over Christmas, while thousands of vital appointments and operations will be cancelled and A&E departments have been forced to close.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, warned that the action has come at the ‘worst possible time of year’ when the health service is already overwhelmed by a surge in demand due to Covid, flu and norovirus.
Mel Stride, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, this morning urged junior doctors to ‘come back to the table’ to negotiate with the Government.
NHS bosses had already warned that hospitals will operate at full capacity for just four weekdays until January 10. Only December 27, 28, 29 and January 2 are unaffected by the impending chaos of the holidays and walk-outs until January 10
The British Medical Association (BMA) has coordinated the three-day walkout, running from 7am this morning, in a bid for an even bigger pay rise than the 12 per cent already offered by the Government. It has previously demanded a 35 per cent boost
He told LBC Radio: ‘What the junior doctors have got to do now – they’re the ones that have walked away from the table – is to come back to the table.
‘What they really should not be doing is putting people in these very difficult situations, over this very difficult period for the NHS when the pressure is that much more acute.
‘They’ve walked away, we have our door wide open to continue these discussions.
‘We’ve been making some progress, but they really should be coming back to the table now. It’s deeply disappointing that they’ve done what they’ve done.’
Professor Powis warned that the strikes are hitting when hospitals are already battling winter pressures in the form of flu and Covid cases on the rise. ‘This is going to be a challenging period and we will see disruption once again,’ he said.
He said: ‘We want to keep patients safe, the BMA also stated they wish to keep patients safe, and we will be ensuring that we have a laser focus on ensuring our most urgent and emergency pathways are there.’
He added: ‘This will be a disruptive period – three days this week, six days – the longest period of strike action that we’ve seen – early in the new year.
‘Of course that’s after the new year festivities where we see activity growing, so it’s that second period of strike action in January that is giving us the most concern.’
Professor Powis said that he was ‘disappointed that negotiations broke down’ but said that deals reached with other doctor groups show that it is ‘possible to make progress’.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins urged the BMA to call off the strikes and resume talks.
‘We know that despite these measures and the hard work of NHS staff, these strikes can cause significant disruption to patients and add extra pressure on the NHS,’ she said.
‘My door remains open should the BMA junior doctors committee cancel these disruptive strikes and come back to the negotiating table as we were making good progress.’
Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chair of the BMA junior doctors committee, said that in order to break the deadlock the Government needed to ‘recognise and value doctors and not inflict a real-terms pay cut’.
Last week, Ms Atkins said that a final offer had not been put before the BMA before more strikes were announced.
Asked about Ms Atkins’ remarks, Dr Trivedi said: ‘We have still not seen this further offer. So if it really is enough to stop strikes, then let’s have it. If it is credible we can put it to our members and we can cancel these strikes today.’
He added: ‘We have never walked away from talks, we have called strike action and then the Government has walked away from talks, but we’re ready to speak at any point.
‘There is no law, there is no rule that stops people talking when strikes are called and in fact we saw a completely different approach in Scotland where our colleagues had called for strike action but their government met them at the table and they negotiated a deal which ultimately, not only was good enough to put to members but was good enough to be agreed by members, and they were able to avert strike action, full stop. I only wish that our Government would take some notice of that.’
The BMA announced the strike earlier this month after talks between junior doctors and the Government broke down.
Junior doctors in Wales are planning a 72-hour walkout from January 15, while doctors in training in Northern Ireland are being balloted for potential strike action. Those in Scotland have already come to an agreement with the Scottish government.
Consultant doctors from the BMA in England have reached a deal with the Government, with members currently voting whether or not to accept the deal.
Specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors (SAS) in England have also come to an agreement, which is being put to members.
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