Doctors’ strike could be called off as Streeting makes last-minute offer
The British Medical Association (BMA) said junior doctors should be consulted on whether to call off the upcoming strike after receiving an offer from the government.
Doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, will be off work for five days from next Wednesday due to concerns about wages and training locations.
Health secretary Wes Streeting accused the BMA of “playing games with patients’ lives” by delaying a decision on whether to cancel strikes.
He said members would be surveyed online on whether the agreement was enough to cancel next week’s planned strikes.
The online survey will end on Monday, just two days before the next five-day strike begins.
Concerns have been raised that the planned strike coincides with a wave of illness sweeping the UK, including a particularly debilitating strain of flu. Two hospital trusts in the Midlands declared critical cases this week amid high pressure.
The BMA, the doctors’ union, said the new proposal includes: new legislation to ensure home-trained doctors in training have priority in specialist training roles; There will be an increase in specialist training posts over the next three years, with 1,000 of these starting next year, and will fund compulsory examination for junior doctors and Royal College membership fees.
The union, which has been staging a strike for junior doctors since 2023, said it would consult members on the government’s new deal to end the “jobs crisis” for doctors in England.
Mr Streeting said he had offered to allow the BMA to reschedule strike action for later January if members rejected the deal, but the union had refused to do so, so strikes were still on the horizon.
“NHS leaders will now have to start canceling other doctors’ leave to accommodate potential strikes, and patients will also suffer unnecessary and avoidable disruption from some canceled appointments and operations. The BMA has this.
“They didn’t have to do this, they chose to do this, which I think is extremely irresponsible given the level of disruption this will cause for the NHS at one of the busiest times of the year.”
He continued: “While I am fed up with the BMA and think they are now playing games with the lives of patients and other doctors who will have to cover strikes, that does not change the fact that what we are putting forward is a good deal for doctors.”
He called for doctors.
“That’s why I’m now taking the helm of the BMA and calling on doctors to work with a government that wants to work with you to vote for a deal that will resolve the jobs crisis that doctors have raised with us in a real, meaningful and urgent way, and enable us to draw a line under this dispute and start the new year with a fresh start,” Mr Streeting said.
Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA junior doctors committee, said: “If members believe this is enough to call off strike action then we will hold a referendum to end the dispute.
“But if they give us a clear message that this is not the case, the government will need to go further to end industrial action.”
Rory Deighton, director of acute and community care at the NHS Confederation, said strikes would come at the worst possible time and rapidly rising flu levels would put a huge strain on hospitals. “Despite NHS leaders working incredibly hard to prepare, we are concerned this could put patient safety at risk,” he said.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the strikes were devastating and distressing for patients, divisive for staff and cost the NHS hugely.
“We call on BMA members to seize the moment and put an end to this damaging dispute,” he said.
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