TV doctor Lord Winston quits BMA as Streeting warns doctors against 'unreasonable rush' to strike

A TV doctor and IVF pioneer has resigned from the British Medical Association (BMA) over planned strike action by resident doctors.

Professor Lord Robert Winston, who became a household name through his documentaries on child development, told the Times the "highly dangerous" walkout could harm people's trust in the profession.

The 84-year-old, who has reportedly been a member of the union for more than 60 years, said he resigned from the BMA on Thursday.

Lord Winston's resignation comes hours after the Health Secretary Wes Streeting called on the BMA to abandon their "unreasonable" planned strikes, or risk the NHS' "fragile" recovery.

Speaking in the Commons, Streeting said: “We have put the NHS on the road to recovery, but we all know that the NHS is still hanging by a thread, and that the BMA is threatening to pull it.

“That is why I am once again urging the BMA to abandon their unreasonable rush to strike and work with us to improve resident doctors’ working lives instead.”

In an, at times, impassioned statement to MPs, Streeting claimed the BMA had "lost the public's support," and that renegotiating their pay deal would be "deeply unfair to all other public sectors."

"These are not grounds for industrial action," Streeting told MPs in parliament

In a stark reminder of the dire economic situation the Government says they inherited, Streeting said of further pay rises: "It is unaffordable. It should be apparent to anyone that the public finances this government inherited are not awash with cash.

"I will not and cannot negotiate on this years pay award."

In a final plea to resident doctors, the health secretary urged them to "consider very carefully the consequences of [their] actions".

Raising concerns of delays and cancelled appointments he added: "Five days of strike action means patients and their families receiving the phone call they are currently dreading."

He finished: "While they are out on the picket line protesting the 28.9% increase they had - their friends and colleagues, other NHS staff, many of whom are paid less than they are, will be inside picking up the pieces."

Speaking on Thursday morning Streeting described the planned strikes as "unfair to patients"

Earlier this week, the BMA announced resident doctors in England would walk out for five consecutive days from 7am on July 25.

The result of the strike ballot, announced on Tuesday, saw 90% of voting resident doctors back strike action, with the BMA reporting a turnout of 55%.

Co-chairs of the BMA resident doctors, Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, said they had met with the Health Secretary Wes Streeting, but the Government had been unwilling to move on pay.

In a statement, they wrote: “We met Wes Streeting yesterday and made every attempt to avoid strike action by opening negotiations for pay restoration.

“Unfortunately, the Government has stated that it will not negotiate on pay, wanting to focus on non-pay elements without suggesting what these might be.

“Without a credible offer to keep us on the path to restore our pay, we have no choice but to call strikes.

“No doctor wants to strike, and these strikes don’t have to go ahead.

“If Mr Streeting can seriously come to the table in the next two weeks we can ensure that no disruption is caused.

“The Government knows what is needed to avert strikes. The choice is theirs.”

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If the strikes are not averted they will likely have a hugely detrimental effect on the progress Wes Streeting was keen to point out the government had been making.

Streeting recently announced Labour's 10 year plan for improving the NHS against a backdrop of new data showing the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has fallen for the second consecutive month to its lowest in more than two years.

It is a mixed picture though with the number of patients facing the longest waits increasing, according to NHS figures.

Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Trust leaders now face the bleak prospect of a full five-day walkout by resident doctors jeopardising this hard-won progress to cut waiting lists and efforts to see patients quicker.

“The focus now will be on planning to ensure services are as safe as possible for patients.”

Previous strikes by resident doctors have taken place 11 times since 2022, leading to almost 1.5 million appointments being cancelled or rescheduled.

Government data suggests ending these disputes when Labour came into power saved around half a million appointments and operations from being cancelled and cut waiting lists at the time by 193,000.

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