Regrettable that BMA let slip medics are excited for new strikes
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said it is 'regrettable' the British Medical Association (BMA) 'let slip' that resident doctors are feeling excited by the prospect of more strikes.
He told the PA news agency that union members 'could be round the table working together' rather than on picket lines.
Doctors in training, formerly known as junior doctors, are currently being balloted on whether or not to stage further walkouts, with the vote closing on July 7.
Speaking at the BMA's annual representative meeting in Liverpool on Tuesday, Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, co-chair of the union's resident doctors committee, suggested that 'people are excited to go again'.
He then corrected this to 'energised' when pressed.
He said: 'Excited as in energised. Not excited as in looking forward to it.'
Mr Streeting told PA: 'I don't think the resident doctors on the front line are excited by the prospect of strike action.
'I don't think that people want to be out on picket lines.
'And I think it's regrettable that the BMA to be honest let slip that they're feeling excited.'
Previous strikes by resident doctors have taken place 11 times since 2022, leading to almost 1.5 million appointments being cancelled or rescheduled.
Members of the BMA voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years last September.
The Government also committed to working with the union to streamline how resident doctors report any additional hours they work.
Dr Nieuwoudt said on Tuesday that doctors in training 'want to push for change', but 'their cries have fallen on deaf ears'.
He said that while Mr Streeting gave medics 'a good deal that could stop the strike action at the time', which included promises about a 'genuine pathway' towards restoring pay, this has not happened.
Mr Streeting told PA: 'I just remind the BMA that they've got in me, someone who not only wants to work with them, has already worked with them to deliver a 28.9% pay rise for resident doctors for the last three years, and shares their anger about the experiences of frontline resident doctors in terms of how their treated at work.
'Their placements, their rotations, their ability to take time off, the lack of hot food facilities overnight.
'So rather than be out on the picket line, we could be round the table working together to sort this out and to and to improve the NHS. And that's what I want us to do together.'
The co-chairs of the BMA's resident doctors committee, Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Nieuwoudt, said in a statement: 'The Health Secretary has been refusing to meet with us since he announced this year's disappointing pay award, so it's good to hear that he would now like to get round the table.
'We'll be expecting to start negotiations on July 8th, when our ballot will have closed and there will be no excuse not to meet.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Protesters in wheelchairs cuffed with zip-ties during Capitol demonstrations against Medicaid cuts
A group of protesters, some in wheelchairs, were arrested and zip-tied on Capitol Hill and dragged out by police officers as they demonstrated against proposed cuts to Medicaid in Republicans' massive spending package. Proposed cuts could mean that some 10 million low-income Americans would lose coverage over the course of the next 10 years. The legislation would also put in place additional work requirements for those using the program. At least 33 people were arrested for 'illegally demonstrating' inside the Russell Senate Rotunda, a Capitol Police spokesperson told The Independent on Wednesday. The group was arrested for 'crowding, obstructing, and incommoding,' police said. Another protester was arrested for allegedly crossing a police line, police told The Independent. 'It should be noted that there are other places on Capitol Grounds where people can lawfully demonstrate without issue,' the agency said in a statement. Protesters chanted slogans such as 'no cuts to Medicaid' and 'kill the bill.' Other protesters unfurled a banner stating 'Senate Republicans don't kill us' on one of the staircases. Police quickly confiscated it. The demonstrations took place ahead of President Donald Trump's Fourth of July deadline to pass the legislation. The initial votes on the legislation, a version of which has already passed the House, are expected as soon as Thursday or Friday. Medicaid cuts are widely unpopular among congressional Democrats and even some Republicans who represent rural areas with hospitals that rely on federal funding to stay open to serve lower-income patients. Another group of Republicans are pushing for a $15 billion 'stabilization fund' specifically for such hospitals. Some Republican senators and members of the House have noted that they're still not sure what's even going to be in the final version of the bill. White House officials have said they expect to have the final text this week. With narrow majorities in both the House and the Senate, Republicans can't afford to lose many votes against a Democratic party unified in opposition to the bill. Republican North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis has warned his own party that the cuts could be wildly unpopular. Tillis has handed out flyers outlining why the legislation is bad for North Carolina, exactly because of the cuts to Medicaid, Punchbowl News noted. He argued that Republicans up for re-election next year — including him — will face negative consequences if it passes.
The Guardian
35 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Starmer pushes back at Streeting doubts over budget for assisted dying
Keir Starmer has insisted the government is prepared to deliver assisted dying legislation 'in all its aspects', pushing back against comments made by his health secretary, Wes Streeting, who claimed there was no budget to implement the new law. Streeting, who was previously a supporter of assisted dying but switched sides last year, said better end of life care was needed to stop terminally ill people feeling as though they had no alternative but to end their own life. Writing on his Facebook page, Streeting cited Gordon Brown's opposition to the move and expressed concerns about the ethics of offering an assisted dying service before significant improvements are made to the NHS. 'The truth is that creating those conditions will take time and money,' he wrote. 'Even with the savings that might come from assisted dying if people take up the service – and it feels uncomfortable talking about savings in this context, to be honest – setting up this service will also take time and money that is in short supply. 'There isn't a budget for this. Politics is about prioritising. It is a daily series of choices and trade-offs. I fear we've made the wrong one.' The prime minister backed the historic measure, which passed the Commons with a majority of 23. MPs were given a free vote. When asked on Wednesday if the bill must be implemented and the budget must be found for the legislation, Starmer told reporters ahead of the Nato summit: 'It is my responsibility to make sure the bill is workable, and that means workable in all its aspects. I'm confident we've done that preparation.' The assisted dying bill, which was formally introduced in the House of Lords for further scrutiny on Monday, gives terminally ill adults in England and Wales with six months to live the legal right to end their lives with medical support. This would be subject to approval by two doctors and a panel including a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Kim Leadbeater introduced the legislation as a private member's bill, and the Labour peer Charlie Falconer is expected to lead on the legislation in the Lords. Falconer, who supported Leadbeater's efforts, said peers should not use procedural devices to block the bill. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley, hopes the bill will get its royal assent by October, allowing the start of a four-year process to formally implement it. Streeting will oversee the implementation of the law, as it will be carried out by the Department of Health and Social Care, although the day-to-day work will be handed over to the care minister, Stephen Kinnock, who backed the bill. Although Streeting's views on assisted dying are well known, he has told allies he will not seek to impede the bill's implementation. Given MPs were allowed to vote according to their conscience rather than along party lines, Starmer had been conscious of not wanting to appear to influence MPs' decisions. He had criticised Streeting for doing so earlier this year.
Telegraph
35 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Make assisted dying work, Starmer tells Streeting
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will make assisted dying work, in a rebuke to his Health Secretary who claimed there was no budget for it. Mr Streeting said at the weekend that the NHS did not offer a good enough palliative care service to provide people with choice at the end of their lives. But Sir Keir, who voted in favour of the assisted dying legislation, said it was his responsibility as Prime Minister to make the Bill 'workable'. In a rebuke to Mr Streeting, he said he was 'confident' the Government had done the necessary preparation. It marks a further deepening of the Cabinet rift. Critics of Mr Streeting argue he should prepare to implement the will of Parliament, rather than making interventions against the law. Last week the House of Commons voted narrowly to support Kim Leadbeater's Private Member's Bill, and it will now be scrutinised in the House of Lords. The Government is officially neutral on the bill, and MPs were given a free vote, which meant they did not have to vote along party lines. While Sir Keir is a supporter of the legislation, Mr Streeting is against it, partly on religious grounds. The Prime Minister was asked whether the will of Parliament should be implemented and the budget found during his trip to The Hague, where he attended a Nato summit. He replied: 'It is my responsibility to make sure the bill is workable, and that means workable in all its aspects. I'm confident we've done that preparation.' Critics accuse the Health Secretary of breaking the spirit of the government's neutrality by speaking out so openly about his opposition. In a lengthy message on Facebook after the Commons supported assisted dying by just 23 votes, Mr Streeting claimed that despite his opposition, he would 'make sure that we do a good job with it for the country'. But he quoted former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown 's position that 'there is no effective freedom to choose if the alternative option... is not available', referring to sufficient end-of-life care provisions. Mr Streeting wrote: 'The truth is that creating those conditions will take time and money. 'Even with the savings that might come from assisted dying if people take up the service – and it feels uncomfortable talking about savings in this context to be honest – setting up this service will also take time and money that is in short supply. 'There isn't a budget for this. Politics is about prioritising. It is a daily series of choices and trade-offs. I fear we've made the wrong one.' Campaigners in favour of the bill say it will give terminally ill adults the choice on how they want to die and prevent painful deaths, but critics argue it risks people being coerced into seeking an assisted death. The Terminally Ill Adults Bill was backed by 314 votes to 291 – a majority of 23, which was much lower than the 55 majority when the bill was first debated in November. If the House of Lords approve the bill later this year, ministers would have a maximum of four years to implement the measures, meaning it could be 2029 before assisted dying becomes available.
