Resident doctors in England have started a five-day strike after rejecting the government's latest pay offer. The British Medical Association (BMA) and Health Secretary Wes Streeting met on Tuesday in a final attempt to reach an agreement, but failed.
The strike, which began on Wednesday, will last until 7am on Monday. The rejected offer included increased training places but no pay rise for the current financial year. In a BMA survey, 83% of resident doctors voted against the offer, with a 65% turnout.
This is the 14th strike by resident doctors since March 2023. Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said doctors are 'making clear that they are willing to stand up for their profession against a totally avoidable jobs crisis'. He called for a long-term plan to raise pay and create new jobs.
NHS leaders warned of significant disruption. Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England's national medical director, said: 'These strikes come at an immensely challenging time for the NHS, with record numbers of patients in hospital with flu... more patients are likely to feel the impact of this round of strikes than the previous two.'
A Department of Health spokesperson said every effort was made to avert the strikes, but no agreement could be reached. The focus will now be on minimising disruption.
