NHS to sideline striking doctors as Easter walkout threatens chaos | UK | News

NHS chiefs are set to rely less on junior doctors after a crippling wave of strikes sparked a violent backlash ahead of a six-day Easter strike that will hit patients hard.

A source close to NHS England Chief Executive Sir Jim Mackey said the current model, which is heavily reliant on doctors in training, is no longer sustainable amid repeated industrial action.

“You cannot run a healthcare service based on an unreliable supply of junior doctors,” the source said.

The explosive intervention follows Sir Jim’s comments last week that hinted at a long-term overhaul of staffing in the NHS, raising fears that striking doctors could be sacked altogether.

But critics responded angrily. Professor Carl Heneghan, an urgent care practitioner and director of the University of Oxford’s Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, pointed to official data showing the UK already has a below-average number of doctors compared to other developed countries.

And he warned: “It is completely unacceptable for ministers and appointed health directors to play politics with people’s lives.”

The dispute will come to a head next week when junior doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, decide to go on strike for six days from Tuesday.

This will be the 15th round of strikes since 2023 and underlines the scale of the dispute, which has failed to find a clear solution for more than two years.

Health leaders warn that the timing (due to Easter) poses the risk of a perfect storm as staffing reductions, holiday pressures and increased patient demand collide simultaneously.

The action is expected to cost the NHS more than £250 million in loss of activity and emergency cover; This will put further strain on the system, which is already struggling with waiting lists and staff shortages.

The comments come after Sir Jim, who heads NHS England, said last week that the service should look at ways to become less reliant on what he described as a “temporary training workforce”, referring to junior doctors.

NHS leaders are looking at ways to make services less reliant on rotating junior doctors and instead create a more stable workforce of permanent staff, he told the Health Service Journal.

He suggested the NHS may need to go further in this direction if strikes continue, due to growing concerns about reliability.

A source close to him said this could mean greater reliance on doctors recruited from abroad, as well as an expansion of less qualified roles such as physician partners and advanced clinical practitioners.

These roles generally require less training than fully qualified doctors and are increasingly used to carry out routine clinical work such as drawing blood, ordering tests and supporting patient care.

But critics warn that such a shift risks eliminating rather than addressing deeper staffing shortages.

The strike comes after the British Medical Association (BMA) rejected the government’s offer of up to 7.1 per cent pay for this year.

Health Minister Wes Streeting criticized the planned action, saying it was “unnecessary and counterproductive”.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said doctors had “recklessly” abandoned the deal after months of talks.

The government said the proposal would take junior doctors’ overall pay rises to around 35 per cent over three years, with some earning more than £100,000.

Ministers argue this will place doctors among better-paid public sector workers; This claim is hotly disputed by unions.

The BMA insists the proposal is not what it seems. Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the junior doctors’ committee, said: “Ministers effectively moved the goalposts on the deal at the last minute.”

He warned that spreading wage increases over a longer period meant: “At best, [pay] barely treads water.

He also accused the Government of using labor pressure as a bargaining tool, saying:

“Removing potential doctors’ roles at a time when corridor care and GP queues are already putting the NHS under pressure is clearly bad for patients.”

Union leaders say they will remain open to talks only if a “credible” offer is presented.

Experts say the debate has exposed long-standing weaknesses in the NHS workforce.

Professor Heneghan pointed to official data showing there are around three doctors per 1,000 people in the UK; This rate is below the average for many comparable countries.

He said the NHS was facing a significant shortage and needed tens of thousands more doctors to reach European levels.

Oxford University public health expert Dr. Tom Jefferson said: “Tell me, how are you going to run a ministry without young people?”

He added: “This is what you get when you put accountants and bureaucrats in charge of a health service. No confrontation, no understanding.”

Sir Jim’s words mark a potentially significant change in how the NHS will be run if the dispute continues.

Some hospital leaders told NHS England that services operated differently during strike periods, with consultants and senior clinicians stepping in to maintain essential care.

However, Sir Jim also acknowledged the need for a “pipeline” of future consultants, highlighting the risk of weakening long-term staffing.

Any move towards a more “hybrid” workforce is expected to include greater use of nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and other clinical staff as well as doctors; It’s a change that could reshape the frontline of the NHS.

Despite the increased rhetoric, negotiations continue behind the scenes to prevent further disruption.

The BMA’s Dr Fletcher said: “We believe there is a deal to be made… and we are seeking to meet with the Government once again to achieve a meaningful outcome.”

In a letter to the BMA last week, Wes Streeting wrote: “Having rejected the deal we agreed with you and your civil servants, I expected the BMA Resident Doctors Committee to respond with at least a counter-offer to end these strikes… The Government’s offer is on the table. The BMA has chosen to reject it and save the NHS with another damaging and incessant strike action.”