Health secretary’s fury at ‘self-indulgent’ five-day doctors’ strike as NHS faces Christmas flu crisis
Health minister exploded doctors They were described as “self-indulgent” and “dangerous” after they voted to continue a five-day strike in the run-up to Christmas.
British Medical Association(BMA)’s junior doctor members flatly rejected the last minute offer. Wes Street To stop the strike, paramedics joined the picket line from 7am on Wednesday.
The move sparked warnings of a “very difficult Christmas” for the United States. NHS It is feared the strike will put patients at risk due to an increase in “super flu” cases sweeping the country. Flu cases in hospitals in England are at a record high for this time of year.
Prime Minister said ‘We are devastated’ According to reports, he joined Mr Streeting in calling on doctors to ignore their unions and go to work anyway this week, warning they had lost public sympathy over the dispute.
Wes Streeting: ‘I’m calling on junior doctors to go back to work this week’ (AFP/Getty)
Mr Streeting warned that the dates just before the Christmas bank holidays represented a “different magnitude of risk” to previous strikes.
He accused the BMA of choosing the timing to “damage the NHS at a time of maximum danger” and lashed out at their refusal to delay until January.
“There is no need for these strikes “It will continue this week and it reveals the BMA’s shocking disregard for patient safety and other NHS staff,” he said, adding: “These strikes are self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous.”
The number of people hospitalized with flu in England is at a record high for this time of year (PA)
He continued: “I am appealing to ordinary junior doctors to report to work this week. There is a different risk in striking now. Abandoning your patients when they need them most goes against everything a career in medicine entails.”
Mr Streeting had offered the union a new deal that included greater access to specialist training positions and money for costs such as exam fees, but crucially no extra pay.
However, the offer was rejected by the BMA on the grounds that it was “too little, too late”. With a turnout of 65 percent, 83 percent of doctors voted for the strike to continue, while 17 percent voted against it.
Chairman of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, Dr. Jack Fletcher said: “Tens of thousands of frontline doctors came together to say ‘no’ to what was clearly too little, too late.
“This week’s strike is still entirely avoidable; the health secretary must work with us in the short time we have left to come up with a credible proposal to end this jobs crisis and avoid the real-term wage cuts he has put forward in 2026.”
Keir Starmer says he is unhappy the strike will continue (House of Commons/UK Parliament)
Sir Keir condemned the strikes as “irresponsible”.
He told MPs on the House of Commons liaison committee: “He’s very exhausted. Ten out of ten. That’s irresponsible behavior at any time, especially at the moment.”
He added: “This follows very significant pay rises over the last year. We have put a deal on the table that could be taken forward and so I think this is an irresponsible action by the BMA, and not for the first time.”
“I implore the doctors themselves to push back against the BMA. They are losing public sympathy. They are losing the support of their colleagues.”
Junior doctors lose public sympathy over proposed industrial action (PA)
The BMA said it “remains committed to ensuring patient safety” during the strike. But hospital leaders said the strikes came because the NHS “everyone needs help”.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “This vote is a bitter pill that will inevitably harm patients and the NHS.
“We hoped the government’s recently updated offer would be enough to prevent another strike at a time when so many people are suffering from flu and the NHS needs everyone to step up.
“Trust leaders and staff will now work to minimize the impact of the strike, but unfortunately this will mean further disruption and delays and a very difficult Christmas for the health service.”
Rory Deighton, director of acute and community care at the NHS Confederation, described the vote as a “bitter disappointment”.
Mr Streeting told broadcasters it was “now clear what these strikes are really about, which is the BMA demanding a further 26 per cent pay rise on top of the 28.9 per cent pay rise they already have”.
He said he had offered to postpone the strikes until January “because of the huge risk to patients and the NHS at the worst possible time”.
A YouGov poll last week found opposition to the strikes was at a record high; The British voted 53 percent against and 38 percent in support.
Figures published by the health service last week show flu cases have risen by more than 55 per cent in a week. Some hospitals across the country are asking staff, patients and visitors to wear face masks to prevent the spread of flu, while others are moving in and out of critical incident status due to the large number of people attending A&E.
Shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said: “We Conservatives have repeatedly warned Labor that they would set a dangerous precedent by introducing inflation-busting wage increases last year.
“And now we are seeing the consequences of their surrender – more disruption, more demand and no end in sight.”
