Junior doctors on picket line at Cheltenham General Hospital as six day strike nears end

Junior doctors in England said they will not call more strikes "unless we have to" as health leaders implored ministers and the doctors' union to urgently resolve the ongoing dispute over pay. The NHS[1] said the longest strike in its history, which lasted six full days and will end at 7am on Tuesday, has caused "delay and disruption" to thousands of patients. Ministers have said they will not negotiate with doctors while strike action[2] has been called but, with no further industrial action called, it is hoped talks will resume as soon as possible to try and avert further walk outs and end the dispute.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said it is yet to get an offer for talks to resume. Cheltenham[3] A&E and Minor Injuries and Illness Unit closed at 8pm on Monday, January 1 as part of the BMA Junior Doctors' industrial action and will reopen at 8am on Tuesday, January 8. People were urged to only attend Gloucestershire Royal Hospital A&E for serious and life-threatening conditions.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairman of the BMA's junior doctors committee, said: "It takes two to tango - the Government also need to involve themselves in that process for it to be successful. Ultimately, what we're looking for is an end to this dispute... and the first way to do that is to restore the pay cuts that we have had, which will help restore the value in the profession. "But until the Government is willing to negotiate with us we're not able to unilaterally do that.

So we won't be calling for strike action unless and if we need to, but there is a real future where we don't have to call for strike action ever again, if we're able to come to an agreement." Committee co-chairman Dr Robert Laurenson told PA: "Our goal is to negotiate a pay deal that gives doctors, Government, taxpayers, the NHS and patients long-term security. We just hope that the Government comes to their senses and come back to the negotiation room so that we can all work collaboratively together to find a resolution."

He said that so far there has been no invitation for talks to resume, adding: "There has been no invitation for a minute past 7am tomorrow - or 7.20 tomorrow." NHS officials said the impact of the walkout could last for weeks or months as hospitals try to resume normal levels of activity while catching up on lost hours. The strike coincides with one of the busiest weeks of the year for the health service as it attends to a rising number of people with winter bugs, staff sickness absence and people coming forward who put off seeking help over the Christmas holiday.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, told PA: "Thousands more NHS patients will have been hit with delays and disruption due to this strike. This couldn't have come at a worse time, with mounting seasonal pressures fuelled by a surge in winter viruses and a sharp uptick in Covid-19 cases. "Throughout the last 14 months of NHS strikes, meticulous planning and hard work have allowed trusts to prioritise patient safety and protect emergency and critical care.

But this walkout was the longest in NHS history so the scale of the challenge was that much greater. "It will take time for the NHS to recover, including work on waiting lists and rebuilding staff morale. We urgently need both sides in this dispute - the Government and the BMA - to refresh negotiations and find a resolution."

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, told PA the NHS "managed this as well as could be expected" but the service has been "under strain", with several trusts declaring critical incidents and a number of hospitals calling on junior doctors to return to work to help maintain patient safety. He encouraged the Government and doctors' leaders to find a resolution to the dispute, saying: "Given the impact these days have had, and given the impact that further days would have, I think NHS leaders I represent would say, 'This is not a time for standing on ceremony. This is not a time for worrying about losing face.

Actually, the public, patients and NHS staff as a whole would give enormous credit to either the Government or the BMA if they were seem to be the ones who were who were removing obstacles to getting on the negotiation'."

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If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.[9] Click here to join our WhatsApp community.[10] Meanwhile, NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard praised staff who have worked throughout the action - including junior doctors who either chose not to take action or returned to work to ensure patient safety was maintained.

In an update sent to NHS leaders, she said patients in need of time-sensitive treatment "are left shouldering the greatest personal risk" - including those with cancer. She said more "repeated periods of ever-more drastic action" is "not sustainable". Ms Pritchard said: "I've heard accounts of colleagues all the way from the frontline to service and board directors working around the clock - and in unfamiliar settings - to keep services running and patients safe.

"I include in that the many junior doctors who have chosen not to take action, or who have returned to work to ensure minimum levels of cover, whether or not formal patient safety mitigations were granted.

"Ultimately, despite the best efforts of everyone in the NHS, it is inevitably patients - many needing time-sensitive treatment - who are left shouldering the greatest personal risk."

On Friday, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told PA: "I've said throughout this that, please, to the junior doctors' committee, the moment you call off the strikes I'll get back around the table with you within 20 minutes."

References

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