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The British Medical Association (BMA) have confirmed that a 96-hour walkout by junior doctors will take place from Tuesday 11 April.
Following discussions with the Health Secretary Steve Barclay, the BMA said that no credible offer was presented and their pay restoration demands were called ‘unrealistic’ and ‘unreasonable’.
Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctor committee, said: “It is with disappointment and great frustration that we must announce this new industrial action. We have no confidence that without further action these negotiations can be successful.”
Not going to stop until we are paid what we are worth
They added that the situation is entirely of the government’s own making and doctors want to spend their time looking after patients, not on strike. But with an NHS buckling under a workforce crisis, and four in ten junior doctors looking to leave, they can’t stand by while their pay is further eroded by inflation and an intransigent government.
“We are not going to stop until we are paid what we are worth, and if ministers don’t accept that when we tell them in person, we will have to tell them from the picket line, ” they said.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said that the Health and Social Care Secretary met the BMA’s junior doctors committee yesterday in the hope of beginning constructive talks to resolve the current dispute, yet the BMA placed a pre-condition on these talks of a 35% pay rise, which was unreasonable.
The spokesperson added: “Our door remains open to constructive conversations, as we have had with other health unions, to find a realistic way forward which balances rewarding junior doctors for their hard work while being fair to the taxpayer.”
Consultants are unlikely to fill in rota gaps due to accumulated leave
The NHS Confederation said the news was “hugely disappointing” and will be a blow to leaders’ efforts to tackle the backlog and further industrial action will have a significant impact on patient care.
They estimate that up to a quarter of a million appointments and operations may need to be postponed as a result of this next wave of strikes.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive, said: “Leaders will have been hoping for progress and an outcome similar to negotiations with the agenda for change unions so news of another, longer walkout is a huge setback for plans. Sadly, it is inevitable that this will impact on patient safety and dignity.
“The level of disruption caused by the last junior doctors’ walkout was greater than that of all the other recent strikes put together, so leaders will be dismayed about a repeat and worried about the impact on patient care, particularly just after Easter.
A further complication could be that leaders are unlikely to be able to call again on consultants in the same way to fill in rota gaps, due to many having accumulated leave from providing cover during the first strikes. This poses will pose a huge challenge to services already stretched by having too few staff, so another walkout poses a real risk to patient safety.
He added: “We know that no one wants to take industrial action and choosing to strike is not a decision anyone takes lightly, but we would encourage junior doctors to further reflect on the potential damage a four-day walkout could do, and what it will mean for patients.
“That said, the government must act decisively to provide a meaningful incentive to make junior doctors reconsider and come back to the table. Digging in and dragging this out does no one any favours, least of all patients, so a swift resolution must be found; both sides must be willing to make compromises in order for that to happen.”