‘Disappointment’ as resident doctors’ strike to go ahead next week

Resident doctors in England are to “press ahead” with a planned walkout next week after crunch talks failed to avert the strike action, the Government has said as it took a key part of its offer off the table.

The Department of Health and Social Care said an offer of 1,000 extra training places, which was part of the Government deal on pay and jobs, will no longer be “financially or operationally” possible as the NHS prepares to deal with the fallout from the strike.

Tens of thousands of resident doctors in England are set to stage a six-day walkout on Tuesday, immediately after the Easter weekend.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer gave the resident doctors committee of the British Medical Association (BMA) a 48-hour deadline to reconsider the Government’s deal on pay and jobs, which included the offer of extra NHS training posts.

As the deadline approached, the BMA set out a list of demands for Government which would need to be addressed for them to call off the strike.

Responding, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It is disappointing that the BMA has decided to press ahead with strikes next week, despite conversations we have been having in recent days in a bid to protect the NHS from strikes.

“This Government offered resident doctors a generous deal to improve their pay, career progression and working lives that would have seen resident doctors on average 35.2% better off than they were four years ago. 

“Because the BMA resident doctor committee has not agreed to call off these strikes and put an offer to members, we will now not be able to deliver the 1,000 extra training places which the BMA asked for.

“These posts would have gone live this month, but as systems now need to prepare for strikes and more uncertainty, it simply won’t be operationally or financially possible to launch these posts in April in time to recruit for this year – this won’t impact the overall number of resident doctors and the NHS will be there for patients when they need it.

“Our attention and that of leaders across the NHS is now on protecting patients, staff and our NHS by minimising disruption to the health service.” 

In a letter sent earlier on Wednesday, Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the doctors’ committee, said the current offer from the Government “falls short” and “did not meet the standard required” to put to members of the union.

“We have consistently maintained that we are willing to postpone industrial action should a genuinely credible offer be provided,” he said in a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

“This remains the case now, up to and throughout any period of industrial action.”

Dr Fletcher said Government “threats” to remove training places in the current offer “needlessly and avoidably inflamed the dispute”.

The BMA said that in order to cancel action, several issues must be addressed in any new Government offer on jobs and pay.

“We remain open to any improved offer or further negotiation. We are willing to talk before, during and after any industrial action,” Dr Fletcher added.