Resident doctors announce strike action in England

Residents doctors protest outside a hospital during their last strike in July. Credit: PA

Doctors in England will go on strike for five days in November in an ongoing row over jobs and pay.The British Medical Association (BMA) said resident doctors, previously named junior doctors, will strike on five consecutive days from 7am on November 14 to 7am on November 19.Resident doctors make up around half of all doctors in the NHS. The BMA is asking all resident doctors not to begin any shift during the strike action.

Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said on Thursday that "this is not where we wanted to be".

"We have spent the last week in talks with government, pressing the Health Secretary to end the scandal of doctors going unemployed," he said.

"We know from our own survey, half of second year doctors in England are struggling to find jobs, their skills going to waste whilst millions of patients wait endlessly for treatment, and shifts in hospitals go unfilled. This is a situation which cannot go on."

Dr Fletcher said the BMA spoke with the government "in good faith", hoping to strike a deal that would "reverse the cuts to pay over several years".

"We hoped the Government would see that our asks are not just reasonable but are in the best interests of the public and our patients and would also help stop our doctors leaving the NHS," he said.

“Better employment prospects and restoring pay - are a credible way forward that would work for doctors, work for Government and work for our patients.

"The Health Secretary’s 11th hour letter to us today makes vague promises for some degree of change to jobs and training for two years hence, showing little understanding of the crisis here and now, or a real commitment to fix it.

“While we want to get a deal done, the Government seemingly, does not, leaving us with little option but to call for strike action."

Dr Fletcher finished by saying that although the situation is disappointing, "it is not irredeemable".

Health Secretary Wes Streeting previously said reforming the NHS "requires a team effort" from the Government and medics. Credit: PA

Resident doctors last walked out in July, when BMA members joined picket lines across the country for five days.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the walkout, branding it "reckless" and "irresponsible", and said the government would not allow the BMA to “hold the country to ransom”.

The BMA has argued that real-terms pay has fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full “pay restoration”.

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