After the strike by resident doctors in England came to an end this morning at 7am, Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee (RDC) said:

“With the strike over, we now have a window of opportunity for talks. It is vital that the Health Secretary does not waste it.

 

“Further strikes are in no one’s interest. And a deal can be reached if the Government recognises the need to move on jobs and pay.

“Firstly, on jobs, we need measures that go further and faster to address the current absurd situation where insufficient training posts have led to doctors trained in the UK facing unemployment - all while patients are desperate to get off the waiting list and get the care they need.

These shortages are a phenomenon of the last few years, but could be just a brief blip in the NHS’s history if the Government simply says yes to some common-sense reforms which would return us to the reasonable competition ratios of previous years. There are straightforward steps they can take to ensure job security for doctors but so far we simply have not seen them brought to the table.  

“Secondly, on pay, all we ask for is the equivalent of a pound an hour, in today’s money, extra each year for a first-year resident doctor. If this were locked in for the next few years it would put an end to this dispute. Done over a responsible timeframe, fair pay for doctors remains one of the best tools the Government can use to stem the tide of more and more doctors leaving the NHS. We just need to see a plan to get there.

“For all the Health Secretary has spent the last week in the media talking up our differences, in reality our interests align very closely. We want doctors in work, and fair pay for work. We have a chance, together, to fix decades of mismanagement of the medical workforce. We need him to put aside the hostile rhetoric and sit down with us - a multi-year pay deal and some common-sense changes to fix the jobs crisis can resolve this dispute for years to come.”

Notes to editors

The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.