Wes Streeting says 'irresponsible' junior doctors' leaders hindering care plan for sickest during NHS strike and reveals he has relative fearing op axe
The Health Secretary accused the The British Medical Association of telling members not to inform employers if they were taking part in a planned five-day walkout that starts next week.
The BMA has vowed to maintain safe levels of cover for emergency and maternity care from July 25.
But Mr Streeting said their actions meant it would be harder for it to be done, and called for doctors to ignore them.
Appearing before the Health and Social Care committee today he also revealed one of his relatives is among thousands who fear they will have an operation cancelled by the proposed industrial action.
Mr Streeting told MPs that while he accepted the doctors had a right to strike 'I cannot fathom is how any doctor in good conscience would make it harder for managers to make sure we have safe staffing levels'.
'It would make it harder for other staff who are going to be turning up to work that day, not least the staff who have not had a higher percentage pay rise, many of whom are paid less than resident doctors, he added.
Mr Streeting will hold talks with the BMA this week in the hope of averting the walk out over a demand for a 29 per cent pay rise.
The government has said there is no money left for another pay rise but has left the door open to making changes to the way doctors work.
This morning a self-confessed 'leftwing' doctor's leader warned only emergency care would be covered if medics walk out on strike for five days next week, putting thousands of routine operations at risk.
Dr Emma Runswick, deputy chairwoman of the BMA, said that resident doctors were not seeking to 'bring the NHS to its knees' with their latest walk-out in search of an eye-watering 29 per cent pay rise.
But she admitted that only emergency and maternity care would continue if they go ahead with five consecutive days of strikes starting at 7am on July 25.
This afternoon Mr Streeting told MPs a member of his own family is waiting for an 'inevitable' phone call to tell them their NHS procedure has been postponed as a result of planned resident doctor strike action.
He told the Health and Social Care Committee: 'We can mitigate against the impact strikes, and we will, but what we cannot do is promise that there will be no consequence and no delay, no further suffering, because there are lots of people whose procedures are scheduled over that weekend period and in the period subsequently, where the NHS has to recover from the industrial action, who will see their operations and appointments delayed.
'I have a relative in that position.
'My family are currently dreading, what I fear is an inevitable phone call saying that there is going to be a delay to this procedure.
'And I just think this is an unconscionable thing to do to the public, not least given the 28.9 per cent pay rise.'
Ministers and distinguished medics have critiscised the decision, coming at a time when billions is being ploughed into the NHS in a bid to clear backlogs and improve patient care.
IVF pioneer, Professor Robert Winston, resigned from the BMA last week, saying the strike could cause 'long-term damage' to people's faith in doctors.
Appearing on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dr Runswick was asked is she was a 'militant leftie'.
'Oh yeah I am leftwing but that doesn't necessarily reflect the variety of views that that doctors have,' she said.
She also complained that some specialist residents were only being paid £34 per hour, adding: 'You would pay a plumber more.'
Mr Streeting is sympathetic to improving working conditions for doctors, but will not budge on salaries.
Today he said he was 'pleased' that resident doctors have agreed to 'sit down and talk to try and avert these strikes'.
But he stressed that the Government has been 'really clear' that it will not 'reopen this year's pay award'.
Lord Winston quit his membership following the strike announcement, writing in The Times: 'I've paid my membership for a long time. I feel very strongly that this isn't the time to be striking.
'I think that the country is really struggling in all sorts of ways, people are struggling in all sorts of ways.
'Strike action completely ignores the vulnerability of people in front of you.'
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said: 'The BMA have accepted the Health Secretary's offer to meet and we expect that to happen this week.'
Some 90 per cent of voting resident doctors backed the strike action, with the BMA reporting a turnout of 55 per cent.
The union has said that resident doctors need a pay uplift of 29.2 per cent to reverse 'pay erosion' since 2008-09.
In September, BMA members voted to accept a government pay deal worth 22.3 per cent on average over two years.
The 2025-26 pay deal saw resident doctors given a 4 per cent uplift plus £750 'on a consolidated basis' – working out as an average pay rise of 5.4 per cent.
The BMA call for a 29.2 per cent uplift is based on Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, the measure of average changes in the price of goods and services used by most households.
Mr Streeting has said that the 'majority' of BMA resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – did not vote to strike and has called the forthcoming action 'completely unreasonable'.
However Labour has also been accused of crying 'crocodile tears' - as it prepares to make walkouts even easier.
Angela Rayner 's radical workers' rights Bill will soon scrap the 50 per cent turnout threshold which unions must meet to hold legal strike action.
Last night Conservative business spokesman Andrew Griffith told the Mail the Government's comments were 'totally hypocritical'.
He said: 'The unions are already licking their lips at the Employment Bill, which will unleash waves of low threshold strikes. By reducing the turnout required to trigger a strike, Labour are guaranteeing even more strikes. They are effectively giving unions the whip hand at the worst possible time.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
29 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
NHS Wales Gluten-Free Card Scheme: Who is eligible?
The card is intended to give individuals with conditions such as coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis more freedom in selecting gluten-free products from supermarkets and online instead of relying only on a prescription. This initiative, known as the National Gluten-Free Subsidy Card Scheme, is the first of its kind in the UK and offers an alternative way for patients to access essential dietary products. Cabinet secretary for health and social care, Jeremy Miles, said: "For people living with coeliac disease, following a strict gluten-free diet is not a lifestyle choice but a medical necessity. "We want to de-medicalise the supply of gluten-free foods in Wales, giving people more freedom to access the food they want to eat, more conveniently, to help them to manage their condition." The card will also help reduce the workload on GPs and pharmacies, ensuring efficient use of NHS resources. Eligible individuals will be given the choice between a traditional prescription or the new card, based on their needs. The scheme has been tested across Hywel Dda University Health Board, with numerous success stories. Cherylee Barker, part of the pilot scheme, has been using the card for six years. She said: "I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2007 and quickly realised that maintaining a gluten-free diet would be costly, with limited shopping options and hit-and-miss food choices. "I jumped at the chance to join the pilot. I could try new products without feeling financially stretched and take back control of my diet." Dietician Alison Jones, who led the successful pilot, said: "From its use within Hywel Dda, we know that the card provides more choice, flexibility and variety." The contactless card, which functions like a pre-paid Mastercard, will be topped up every three months.
South Wales Argus
29 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Streeting: We are doing everything we can to minimise patient harm during strike
A five-day walkout by resident doctors in England is under way, with members of the British Medical Association (BMA) manning picket lines across the country. The Health Secretary condemned the strike as 'reckless' and said the Government would not allow the BMA to 'hold the country to ransom'. Asked about the risk of patient harm during a visit to NHS England HQ in London, he told the PA news agency on Friday: 'I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have prepared and mobilised to minimise the disruption and minimise the risk of harm to patients. 'We've seen an extraordinary response, including people cancelling their leave, turning up for work, and resident doctors themselves ignoring their union to be there for patients. I'm extremely grateful to all of them. 'What I can't do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients. 'We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA's action is so irresponsible. 'They had a 28.9% pay award from this Government in our first year, there was also an offer to work with them on other things that affect resident doctors – working lives – and that's why I think this is such reckless action. 'This Government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom, and we will continue to make progress on NHS improvement, as we've done in our first year.' Asked about next steps and the continued threat of doctor strikes, given the BMA has a six-month mandate to call more industrial action, Mr Streeting said: 'When the BMA asks, 'what's the difference between a Labour government and a Conservative government?', I would say a 28.9% pay rise and a willingness to work together to improve the working conditions and lives of doctors. Resident doctors are beginning a five-day strike (James Manning/PA) 'That is why the public and other NHS staff cannot understand why the BMA have chosen to embark on this totally unnecessary, reckless strike action.' It comes as NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters on Friday about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. 'So the difference this time is the NHS has put a huge effort in to try and get back on its feet,' he said at NHS England HQ in London. 'As everybody's been aware, we've had a really tough period, and you really feel colleagues on the ground, local clinical leaders, clinical operational colleagues etc, really pulling together to try and get the NHS back on its feet. 'And we also learned from the last few rounds of industrial action that harm to patients and disruption to patients was much broader than the original definitions. So we've decided to say it needs to be a broader definition. We can't just focus on that small subset of care. 'Colleagues in the service have tried to keep as much going as humanly possible as well, and the early signs are that that's been achieved so far, but it is early doors. 'In the end, capacity will have to be constrained by the numbers of people we've actually got who do just turn up for work, and what that means in terms of safe provision, because the thing that colleagues won't compromise is safety in the actual delivery. But it does look like people have really heard that. 'They're really pulling together to maximise the range of services possible.' Asked about further strikes, he said: 'It is possible. I would hope not. I would hope after this, we'll be able to get people in a room and resolve the issue. 'But if we are in this with a six month mandate, we could be doing this once a month for the next next six months, but we've got to organise ourselves accordingly.' The Prime Minister has said the strikes will 'cause real damage' (PA) Asked why he was not willing to bump pay from what the BMA calculates is £18 an hour to £22 per hour, Mr Streeting told broadcasters: 'I think the public can see, and other NHS staff can see the willingness this Government showed from day one coming into office to try and deal with what had been over a decade of failure on behalf of the previous government, working with resident doctors to improve their pay and to improve the NHS. 'That's why resident doctors had a 28.9% pay award, and that's why the disruption they are inflicting on the country is so unnecessary and so irresponsible.' Mr Streeting said 'we know there'll be real challenges over the next five days'. He added that patients, particularly those who end up waiting a long time for care due to strikes, 'do come to harm, and however much the BMA try and sugarcoat it, what they are fundamentally doing today is forgetting the three words that should be at the forefront of every doctor's minds every day, which is, 'do no harm'.' On whether strikes are going to become the 'new normal', he added: 'As I've said before, the BMA have had a 28.9% pay award from this Government, and we were willing to go further to help on some of the working conditions that doctors face. 'That offer of joint working, that partnership approach, that hasn't gone away, but it does take two to tango, and I hope that the BMA will reflect very carefully on the disruption they are inflicting on patients, the pressures they're putting on their colleagues, and the circumstances in which they are doing so – a 28.9% pay rise and a government that was willing to work with them. 'Those are not grounds for strike action.' It comes after Sir Keir Starmer made a last-minute appeal to resident doctors, saying the strikes would 'cause real damage'. He added: 'Most people do not support these strikes. They know they will cause real damage… 'These strikes threaten to turn back the clock on progress we have made in rebuilding the NHS over the last year, choking off the recovery.' The BMA has argued that real-terms pay has fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'. The union took out national newspaper adverts on Friday, saying it wanted to 'make clear that while a newly qualified doctor's assistant is taking home over £24 per hour, a newly qualified doctor with years of medical school experience is on just £18.62 per hour'. BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the union had been expecting more pay for doctors. He said: 'Where we were last year when we started the pay campaign, we were down a third on our pay compared to 2008. 'So you've got last year's pay offer which did indeed move us towards (pay restoration), but Wes Streeting himself said that pay restoration is a journey, not an event, implying that there would be further pay restoration to come, and we were expecting our pay to be restored in full – that's our campaign's goal. 'We got part way there, but then that came to a halt this year – we've only had an offer that brings us up, just to catch up with inflation.' Asked what it would take for doctors to go back to work, he said the BMA needed to see 'a clear, guaranteed pathway' to pay restoration. He added that 'it's very disappointing to see a Labour Government taking such a hard line against trade unions'. Elsewhere, the Nottingham City Hospital – where Dr Melissa Ryan, co-chairwoman of the BMA's resident doctors' committee works in paediatrics – reached an agreement with the BMA to exempt one doctor from the strike to work on the neonatal intensive care unit. Speaking from a London picket line, Dr Ryan told The Times: 'I do know that we've granted a derogation already. It is actually at my work, with the babies on one of the neonatal units I work on. That is because it is an intensive care unit for babies. 'We don't have enough senior staff to cover the doctors that aren't there, the residents. And actually, it is important to us that those very sick babies get a lot of care. So we have granted a resident doctor to go back.' A derogation was agreed for one doctor in the emergency department and another doctor in the ISGM at the Northern General Hospital. 'We advise resident doctors to return to work if contacted by the Trust to staff these shifts tonight,' the BMA said in an X post on Friday evening. The BMA said it had also agreed a derogation for two anaesthetists to work at University Hospital Lewisham on Saturday to ensure patient safety. Louise Stead, group chief executive of Ashford and St Peter's and Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trusts, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that around 500 appointments were being rescheduled 'but we are continuing to do about 96% of the work we've had planned'.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Labour isn't working: Sick leave in Whitehall surges under Starmer as civil servant absences jump by over a quarter in major government departments
Sick leave in the Whitehall blob is surging under Labour, analysis suggests. Absence rates jumped by up to 26 per cent in major government departments last year. Civil servants taking prolonged periods off over mental health issues was fuelling the rise, sources claimed, with tens of thousands of working days lost. And it showed Labour ministers were 'turning a blind eye' and had gone soft on trying to boost productivity in the public sector, critics said last night. The analysis comes amid wider concerns about Britain's sick-note epidemic, with 11 million 'fit notes' – which assess an individual's ability to work – doled out in England last year. Public sector workers are 60 per cent more likely to be off due to illness than those in the private sector. Foreign Secretary David Lammy's department saw one of the biggest increases, with 35,452 working days lost last year, the study found. This soared from 28,122 in 2023 and concerned 2,904 staff, up from 2,437. Alex Burghart, the Tories' Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: 'This is shocking analysis. Too many days are lost to sick leave in the Civil Service. It's unfair on taxpayers and on the staff left to carry the load. 'Ministers are turning a blind eye and the Government has gone soft on productivity. This is the last thing Britain needs when it is already struggling under Labour.' Most of the increase was due to 'long-term' absences, suggesting civil servants are calling in sick for extensive periods. Working days lost as a result of these longer periods off surged from 16,165 to 20,770, compared to a jump from 11,957 to 14,682 because of 'short-term' sickness. Staff with no such time off stood at 67 per cent, down from 72 per cent. Mental health issues fuelled a surge in absence rates, the Department for Transport said. Its annual report and accounts claimed overall 'Average Working Days Lost' per staff member last year jumped from 8.6 to 9.2 for officials at the department and linked agencies. Again, the majority (5.7) were for 'long-term' sickness, with 'mental ill health' remaining the 'largest long-term absence type'. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's office recorded a jump of 12 per cent in the sickness leave rate. As of March 31 this year, the average working days lost to sickness per official was 7.4 days, up from 6.6 in 2024. And the Department for Education's rate surged from 5.3 to six. Angela Rayner's housing department also saw a 12 per cent jump in average working days lost due to sickness, from a rate of five in 2023 to 5.6 last year. Only 58 per cent registered 'no sickness absence', down from 63 per cent the year before. But rates at agencies linked to the department were much worse, with the days-lost rate at 8.8 – up from 5.9. Just 41 per cent suffered no sickness, down from 56 per cent. Of eight departments to have published their accounts for 2024/25, just two saw sickness rates fall or stay the same. These were the Treasury, where the rate dropped from 3.3 to 2.8 days lost on average per worker last year, and the Department for Work and Pensions (6.9 to 6.8). It comes despite Sir Keir Starmer saying in December that 'too many' civil servants 'are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline'. A government spokesman said: 'The civil service provides a range of tools and policies to ensure employees remain in work and are supported to return to work as quickly as possible.'
