Latest news with #BritishMedicalAssociation
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Wes Streeting rules out pay rises for striking resident doctors saying they have 'squandered goodwill'
Resident doctors have "squandered the considerable goodwill" they had with the government by going on strike, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told them. The medics - formerly known as junior doctors - finished a five-day strike over pay on Wednesday morning. The group were awarded a close to 30% raise last year but say they want more in an attempt to bring their pay back in line with what they had in 2008. Mr Streeting previously said he would not negotiate further on pay but would consider taking steps on working conditions. He has reiterated that stance - and continued to put pressure on negotiations to start again on the government's terms. The British Medical Association Resident Doctors Committee, which represents the doctors, have not ruled out further action. In a letter sent today to the co-chairs of the committee, Mr Streeting thanked them for an invitation to "get back to the negotiating table" - but added the barb that it was "ironic because I never left". "I am ready to continue the conversation from where you left it," he added. He went on to say the strikes was "deeply disappointing and entirely unnecessary" - adding that there were "seemingly promising discussions" about improving doctors' working lives. Read more: 'We cannot move on pay' Mr Streeting criticised the committee, saying they "rushed to strike". His letter added: "The consequences of your strike action have been a detrimental impact on patients, your members, your colleagues and the NHS, which might have been worse were it not for the considerable efforts of NHS leaders and front-line staff who stepped up. "Your action has also been self-defeating, because you have squandered the considerable goodwill you had with me and this government. I cannot in good conscience let patients, or other NHS staff, pay the price for the costs of your decision." The health secretary said he wanted to "reset the relationship" between the government and young doctors following the previous industrial action. Mr Streeting went on to say he is "serious about improving working conditions" but has been clear "we cannot move on pay". "This government is prepared to negotiate on areas related to your conditions at work, career progression and tangible measures which would put money in your members' pockets," he added. 👉Listen to Politics At Sam And Anne's on your podcast app👈 Mr Streeting concluded: "I was critical of my predecessors when they closed the door to the Junior Doctors Committee. "My door remains open to the hope that we can still build the partnership with resident doctors I aspired to when I came in a year ago and, in that spirit, I am happy to meet with you early next week."
BBC News
18 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Streeting invites doctors for fresh talks next week
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has invited resident doctors' leaders for fresh talks next week in a bid to end the long-running pay comes after the doctors' union, the BMA, wrote to Streeting on Tuesday evening asking for response, Streeting said he would not negotiate on pay, but was willing to continue the talks that broke down last week looking at working conditions, including career progression, exam fees and he warned the union it had lost the government's goodwill because of the latest strike, which finished on British Medical Association has yet to respond to the invite, but the BBC understands its letter asked for talks on pay. Streeting's letter said it was "ironic" the BMA was asking for talks, pointing out he had never left the negotiating talks ended last Tuesday when the union confirmed its five-day walkout was going was the twelfth strike since spring 2023, but the first under Labour. 'Squandered goodwill' Shortly after the election, Streeting reached a deal with resident doctors that saw a pause to industrial led to a 22% increase in pay over a two-year period. They have been given another 5.4% average rise this year, but the BMA renewed strike action arguing that was not enough since pay was still a fifth lower than it was in his letter on Wednesday, Streeting said the latest strike action was "deeply disappointing" and "entirely unnecessary" given talks that had started could have made substantive improvements to the working lives of said the strike had had a detrimental impact on Streeting added: "Your action has also been self-defeating, because you have squandered the considerable goodwill you had with me and this government."But he said his door remained open, adding he was happy to meet early next is not yet clear the scale of disruption to health services caused by the latest NHS has attempted to keep most of the non-urgent work going, such as knee and hip hospitals reported they were able to do more than 80% of their normal activity – previously it had been as low as 50%.Resident doctors represent nearly half the medical workforce and range from doctors fresh out of university through to those with up to a decade of experience.
Sky News
18 hours ago
- Health
- Sky News
Wes Streeting rules out pay rises for striking resident doctors saying they have 'squandered goodwill'
Resident doctors have "squandered the considerable goodwill" they had with the government by going on strike, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told them. The medics - formerly known as junior doctors - finished a five-day strike over pay on Wednesday morning. The group were awarded a close to 30% raise last year but say they want more in an attempt to bring their pay back in line with what they had in 2008. Mr Streeting previously said he would not negotiate further on pay but would consider taking steps on working conditions. He has reiterated that stance - and continued to put pressure on negotiations to start again on the government's terms. The British Medical Association Resident Doctors Committee, which represents the doctors, have not ruled out further action. In a letter sent today to the co-chairs of the committee, Mr Streeting thanked them for an invitation to "get back to the negotiating table" - but added the barb that it was "ironic because I never left". "I am ready to continue the conversation from where you left it," he added. He went on to say the strikes was "deeply disappointing and entirely unnecessary" - adding that there were "seemingly promising discussions" about improving doctors' working lives. 3:13 'We cannot move on pay' Mr Streeting criticised the committee, saying they "rushed to strike". His letter added: "The consequences of your strike action have been a detrimental impact on patients, your members, your colleagues and the NHS, which might have been worse were it not for the considerable efforts of NHS leaders and front-line staff who stepped up. "Your action has also been self-defeating, because you have squandered the considerable goodwill you had with me and this government. I cannot in good conscience let patients, or other NHS staff, pay the price for the costs of your decision." The health secretary said he wanted to "reset the relationship" between the government and young doctors following the previous industrial action. Mr Streeting went on to say he is "serious about improving working conditions" but has been clear "we cannot move on pay". "This government is prepared to negotiate on areas related to your conditions at work, career progression and tangible measures which would put money in your members' pockets," he added. Mr Streeting concluded: "I was critical of my predecessors when they closed the door to the Junior Doctors Committee. "My door remains open to the hope that we can still build the partnership with resident doctors I aspired to when I came in a year ago and, in that spirit, I am happy to meet with you early next week."
Times
a day ago
- Health
- Times
BMA in new row as thousands of junior doctors cannot get NHS jobs
Thousands of resident doctors cannot get jobs in the NHS, prompting the British Medical Association to open a formal dispute with the government over 'training bottlenecks'. Half of all doctors who have completed their first two years of training have said they have not been able to secure a job from August 6 this year, when the new roles begin. After graduating from medical school, resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, complete two years of foundation training, known as FY1 and FY2, involving placements in different medical specialisms. They then must apply for training posts either as GPs or to become consultants in a specialism, such as psychiatry or oncology. However, there are not enough training posts, meaning about half of the 8,000 FY2 doctors completing their training this week have not got a job waiting for them, prompting many to consider moving abroad. This year, more than 30,000 doctors applied for only 10,000 specialist training places. Some of the applicants are international medical graduates, and some are from a backlog of applicants from previous years. The British Medical Association is starting a formal dispute with the government over the lack of training places. Resident doctors are finishing their five-day strike at 7am on Wednesday as part of a separate dispute to receive a 29 per cent pay rise. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, recently promised to create 1,000 new specialist training posts over the next three years, but the BMA said this was insufficient as the situation was at crisis point. The BMA surveyed 1,053 FY2 doctors last week, asking if they had 'planned substantive employment or regular locum work from August 2025'. Of these, 52 per cent replied no. In total, 4,401 resident doctors were surveyed, and 34 per cent did not have a job lined up. Dr Ross Nieuwoudt and Dr Melissa Ryan, who both head the BMA junior doctors' committee, said many doctors have 'genuine fear and real worry about being able to secure a job in the future'. They added: 'It's absurd that in a country where the government says bringing down NHS waiting lists is one of its top priorities, not only is it not prepared to restore doctors' pay, but it also won't provide jobs for doctors ready, willing and capable to progress in their careers. 'With more than six million patients on waiting lists in England, it's maddening that a third of [junior] doctors say they cannot get a job. Across the NHS, this means potentially thousands of UK doctors are left in employment limbo when patients desperately need their care. 'Commitments from the government to address this don't go far enough or are too vague to convince us that they understand the gravity of the situation, so we're making clear that, alongside pay, we are entering a dispute and demanding action so that no UK-trained, capable doctor is left underemployed in the NHS.' Meanwhile, during the strikes, there is an escalating row over patient safety between NHS bosses who have accused the BMA of risking patients by refusing to provide emergency cover, and the BMA, which said the NHS itself is to blame for not planning adequately for the strikes and securing cover. Sir Jim Mackey, the chief executive of the NHS, has accused the BMA of demanding 'extortionate pay rates' to provide emergency cover during the strike. In a letter to NHS staff, Mackey said: 'We have learned from the last few rounds of industrial action that harm was being caused to patients by the BMA insisting on just prioritising urgent and emergency care. We have all worked hard to avoid that this time, and while there is still some distance to go, the early indications suggest that the planning has worked. 'That is not to say that services haven't come under real pressure. We have worked with you to overhaul the process for patient safety mitigations, and that has yielded results as well, with nine approved as of Sunday night. Unfortunately, despite all requests being made and verified by senior medics, 18 have been rejected by the BMA, with half of those rejections saying the BMA would support only if extortionate pay rates were offered to striking doctors.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Doctors' strikes 'could last more than six months' as first NHS walkout ends
BStrike leaders from the British Medical Association staged a picket line at Health Secretary Wes Streeting's local hospital today amid renewed calls for pay talks Striking doctors have suggested walkouts could go on for more than six months if Wes Streeting does not make them an improved offer. Strike leaders staged a picket line at the Health Secretary's local hospital on the final day of a five-day strike. Resident doctors in the British Medical Association have voted to secure a legal mandate to strike until January 2026. The BMA's resident doctors committee co-chair Dr Ross Nieuwoudt was asked outside King George Hospital in Ilford, east London, whether strikes could go on after then into next year. He replied: "We are incredibly hopeful that Wes Streeting and the Government at large see sense and come to talk to us now so that doesn't even have to be a consideration. That would require a new ballot but we're hoping it doesn't have to get there at all. "All Wes Streeting needs to do is talk to us now; the door is open. That is the best-case scenario... for him to come and talk to us and resolve this dispute." The British Medical Association is holding out for a full return to 2008 levels of pay, arguing that by the Retail Price Index Measure of inflation their real terms salaries are down a fifth since then. Mr Streeting said last week that the BMA's resident doctors committee co-chairs had 'seriously underestimated me' after they ended last ditch talks to avert the strike. The Government has refused to budge on the headline pay rise of 5.4% - pointing out it is an above inflation deal for the second year running - but had been negotiating on other issues such as the cost of training. Speaking from the picket line no Tuesday, Dr Shivam Sharma, resident doctor in north London, said: 'We've had our pay cut by over a fifth but we don't see fewer patients, we don't do less work, in fact our work has become harder. What we're asking for is for a doctor who 's paid just over £18 an hour to be paid just over £22 an hour. 'We're not asking for this money in one go. We're asking for it over a number of years… So please Mr Streeting… do the right thing by everyone.' The BMA would not be drawn on whether and how quickly it will start planning more strikes. Its resident doctors committee co-chair Dr Melissa Ryan said: "There doesn't need to be a single day of strike action. Wes Streeting knows what he has to do. If he wants to resolve the dispute, he has to contact us and present a credible offer. "We do have a mandate that is going all the way into January but... it's a damn shame we have to do a single day of strike action and Mr Streeting can prevent that." NHS officials have pledged that cancelled bookings would be rescheduled within two weeks but warned of knock-on impacts for other patients. Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at NHS Confederation, said: "Resident doctors have recently had a very substantial increase in their pay and the Government has been pretty clear that at the moment, there isn't more money to be negotiated. Clearly the Government is quite keen to have those discussions about other non-pay factors, like workforce conditions. "I think that the hope of all healthcare leaders is that the BMA will get around the table with the Government and figure out a solution to this, because what absolutely nobody wants to see is any further cases of industrial action after this one." The BMA has also launched a "linked dispute" with the Government over a lack of places for doctors in training. The union said that this year there were more than 30,000 resident doctors applying for just 10,000 specialty training places. A poll by the union, conducted on 4,400 doctors over the last week, found that 52% of resident doctors completing their second year of training - when they enter specialty training - do not have substantive employment lined up from August. In a joint statement, co-chairs Dr Ross Nieuwoudt and Dr Melissa Ryan said: 'With more than six million patients on waiting lists in England, it's maddening that a third of resident doctors say they cannot get a job. Across the NHS, this means potentially thousands of UK doctors are left in employment limbo when patients desperately need their care. 'Commitments from the Government to address this don't go far enough or are too vague to convince us that they understand the gravity of the situation, so we're making clear that, alongside pay, we are entering a dispute and demanding action so that no UK-trained, capable, doctor is left underemployed in the NHS.'
