Receive a complimentary email, the Morning Headlines, featuring updates from our journalists worldwide.
newsletter
Join our complimentary Morning Headlines email subscription.
Junior doctors in England will continue with their planned strikes this week due to a deadlock between unions and the government, according to a leader in the NHS.
According to the head of NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, it is highly improbable that a resolution will be reached since neither party is willing to compromise on their stance.
Mr. Taylor stated that there will be a series of strikes in England lasting for six days, beginning on Wednesday. This will greatly impact NHS services, especially during one of the busiest times of the year.
The NHS Confederation has appealed to the government and the British Medical Association (BMA), the union for doctors, to restart discussions in an effort to prevent the strike.
According to Mr. Taylor, speaking with the BBC on Monday, there is still a chance for intervention to have an impact. However, he also stated that it is highly improbable for a resolution to be reached. The main point of contention between the BMA and the government lies in the matter of pay.
In 2023, the NHS strike resulted in over 1.1 million appointments and treatments being cancelled.
It seems like there is a stalemate. The government will not engage in discussions unless the junior doctors end their strike, while the junior doctors will not end their strike unless the government agrees to allocate more funds – and that is unfortunate.
The speaker cautioned that the unprecedented strikes would greatly affect the NHS. They emphasized that these upcoming days would be detrimental and a last-minute intervention could potentially make a difference. However, they acknowledged that the strikes, which will be the longest in the history of the NHS, are scheduled to begin in two days.
Wes Streeting promises to expand the number of available appointments for patients in the NHS.
Junior doctors will walk out from 7am on 3 January until 7am on 9 January, amounting to a total of 144 consecutive hours of industrial action.
A contract exists that permits doctors on strike to return to work for major emergencies. Mr Taylor emphasized the importance of the BMA supporting any calls for junior doctors to come back in cases of extreme strain on NHS services.
He stated, “The prospect of enduring nearly 150 hours of non-stop disruptions is a grave and unprecedented danger, one that NHS leaders and their employees have never encountered before.”
The BMA is requesting a 35% increase in salary for junior doctors.
The British Medical Association (BMA) and the government are at odds over salary negotiations, with the BMA requesting a 35% increase for junior doctors to bring their wages back to 2008 levels. The government has stated that this request is not financially feasible.
The BMA issued a warning last week that if the government does not present a reasonable pay offer, there may be additional strike action in 2024.
The upcoming strike will significantly affect scheduled procedures, as the CEO of Milton Keynes University Hospital stated that the trust anticipates cancelling approximately one-third of its operations.
Certain emergency services may also need to shut down.
The strike by the NHS resulted in the cancellation of over 1.1 million appointments and treatments in 2023.
Source: independent.co.uk
