Resident doctor strike will have 'huge impact' on NHS and patients, health leaders warn
Responding to the British Medical Society's (BMA) announcement that resident doctors will strike for five days at the end of July, Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, part of the NHS Confederation, said:
“Resident doctors downing tools for five days of strikes will have a huge impact on the NHS and its patients and will likely lead to thousands of cancelled appointments and operations. While NHS leaders and their teams will have to fill rota gaps and rearrange appointments, ultimately it is patients who will bear the brunt of this decision and will be left waiting longer for treatments.
“It is disappointing that talks to avert industrial action seem to have broken down so quickly. But it is hard to see how the government could commit to increasing resident doctor pay further, particularly after they have received some of the biggest public sector pay rises over the last two years. While we fully understand the concerns resident doctors and other staff groups have over their pay, conditions and training, we urge BMA members to engage with the positive and responsive direction set out in the government's recent Ten-Year Health Plan and work with the wider NHS to deliver the improvements to the working environment for resident doctors that have been agreed already.
“Our members will continue to try to provide the best care possible and maintain patient safety during any industrial action. But it’s vital that the BMA also reflect on the way in which their last strikes were conducted to see if they can find better responses to requests for help so that patient safety is not jeopardised.”
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NHS Employers is the employers’ organisation for the NHS in England. We support workforce leaders and represent employers to develop a sustainable workforce and be the best employers they can be. We also manage the relationships with NHS trade unions on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
