Health Secretary Clashes with Doctors in Heated Radio Exchange
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has launched a fierce attack on junior doctors, labelling their latest five-day strike as 'extremely irresponsible' despite them receiving a 28.9 per cent pay increase over the past three years. The walkout, which began across England, marks the 13th such industrial action since March 2023.
During a heated exchange on LBC radio with a doctor named Niraj from Harrow, Mr Streeting accused the British Medical Association (BMA) of engaging in 'cartel-like behaviour'. He asserted that doctors were holding patients to 'ransom' and demanded they 'own the damage' being inflicted on the public.
A Deepening Dispute Over Pay and Training Posts
Mr Streeting defended his efforts, stating, 'On every single one of those fronts, on pay, on specialty training places, on improvements to conditions, I have been working to address every single one of those issues.' He emphasised that the pay rise awarded was the highest in the public sector for two consecutive years.
However, the BMA and striking doctors argue that pay has still fallen by a fifth since 2008 and that a critical shortage of training posts is crippling the NHS. Dr Fareed Al-Qusous, a 26-year-old academic foundation doctor in Bristol, explained that industrial action was a last resort. 'We have 30,000 doctors applying for 10,000 training posts,' he said. 'Wes Streeting offered us 2,000 extra training jobs over three years. That's not enough.'
The Health Secretary also revealed he is working to change recruitment rules, calling the current system 'crackers' for pitting homegrown talent against international medical graduates for the same limited training spots.
Significant Financial and Patient Impact
The consequences of the strikes are severe. The previous strike in July was estimated to have cost the NHS £300 million, with this latest five-day action expected to have a similar financial impact. Mr Streeting stated he would prefer to invest that money in frontline care.
Despite the NHS aiming to maintain 95% of planned activity, the last walkout led to over 54,000 procedures and appointments being cancelled or rescheduled. Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS national medical director, described every strike as 'devastating' for the health service.
There are, however, early signs that the mood may be shifting. Nick Hulme, a chief executive of an NHS trust, reported a 'higher level of resident doctors coming back' to work, suggesting potential frustration with the ongoing dispute among some staff.
As the strike continues, the BMA has expressed a desire to resume negotiations with the government once the industrial action concludes, hoping to find a settlement that addresses both pay restoration and the chronic shortage of training positions.
