NHS bosses say Friday's doctors strike is a 'crushing blow' for patients
NHS England said GP surgeries will remain open during the strike, which starts on Friday, and A&E and urgent care will still be available. ITV News Correspondent Sejal Karia reports
NHS bosses have branded Friday's doctors' strike as "irresponsible and reckless" and a "crushing blow" for patients and the NHS.
Thousands of resident doctors will begin a five-day strike from 7 am on Friday, their 12th walkout since March 2023.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said on Tuesday that talks with the government to avoid the strike had collapsed over the key issue of pay.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, told ITV News: "This is a crushing blow for patients and the NHS, and the strike is unnecessary and naturally, in my view, it's irresponsible and reckless.
"The thing that they should do is call off the strike and get back around the negotiating table with the government."
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England national medical director, said: “There is no doubt this industrial action will take a toll on patients and NHS staff, and it is disappointing it is going ahead."
Meanwhile, Dr Melissa Ryan, co-chair of the BMA UK Resident Doctors Committee, said she does not want to strike but needs more than “vague promises” - she wants action to restore doctors' pay.
"None of the strikes need to go ahead. If the government actually would negotiate on these things, we could have," she said.
"We wrote to Mr Streeting in April and again in May. We told him of our plan last year, that we were going to expect the next part of the journey to pay restoration at any point in time. He could have come to the table and negotiated properly.
"My request is simple: that we restore the pay. So I ask you, if somebody had taken £10 from you and then they'd given you £8 back, would you not want the extra £2? We've had 21% of our pay eroded since 2008.
"All we're asking for is not a pay uplift, we're simply asking to have that returned to us because we're not worthless."
She added: "I don't want to have to strike. What we need from the government, though, is more than just vague promises of talks. The time for talking was a while back. What we need from them is action.
"They need to value the doctors in the NHS so that we'll stay and so that ultimately patients can see doctors in the future. "
Emily Smith, who has lived with Crohn’s disease — a painful bowel condition — for 15 years, was due to have surgery on Monday to remove a lump on her bowel.
She told ITV News that her operation was cancelled on Wednesday.
"I totally understand why they're doing it. But it's people's lives that they are messing with, including myself," she said.
"And if I don't get this surgery, my disease is only going to get worse, and I'm just so worried, with obviously I've got a mass that needs to be removed, and if I don't have that removed, then serious things will happen, and I'm just scared to get to that point."
How will you be affected by the strike?
The public is being urged to continue seeking NHS care during the strike.
NHS England said GP surgeries will remain open, A&E and urgent care will still be available, and routine appointments should go ahead where safe to do so.
Sir Jim Mackey, a NHS England boss, told hospital leaders on Thursday to cancel appointments or operations only if patient safety is at risk.
The public is advised to use 111 online first for urgent but not life-threatening concerns.
However, the BMA has said NHS England’s plan to carry on with business as usual poses a risk to patients.
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Strikes by resident doctors in June 2024 led to 61,989 inpatient and outpatient appointments being rescheduled.
Since the end of 2022, almost 1.5 million appointments have been rescheduled as a result of industrial action.
A YouGov poll showed about half (52%) of people in the UK “somewhat oppose” (20%) or “strongly oppose” (32%) resident doctors going on strike over pay.
A third (34%) of the 4,954 adults surveyed either “somewhat support” (23%) or “strongly support” (11%) doctor strikes.
YouGov said the proportion supporting the strike over pay has dropped five points since it last asked the question in May, when 48% opposed the strikes and 39% supported them.
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