logo
#

Latest news with #juniorDoctorStrike

The BMA's greed will bring the NHS to its knees
The BMA's greed will bring the NHS to its knees

Telegraph

time6 days ago

  • Politics
  • Telegraph

The BMA's greed will bring the NHS to its knees

Wes Streeting is finding out the hard way that the comfortable nostrums of opposition do not transfer easily into government. The Health Secretary was scathing in his criticism of the Conservatives during the junior doctor strike a few years ago, maintaining that if only ministers agreed to negotiate with the British Medical Association (BMA) the dispute could be ended. Now the boot is on the other foot. Despite agreeing to a significant pay rise for what are now called resident doctors, they are threatening to go on strike in pursuit of a 29 per cent claim. Arguably, there is not enough money in the system even for what is on the table, let alone the demand that salaries are returned in real terms to where they were before the financial crash of 2008. This would be ruinous for an already broken NHS, especially if it triggers copy-cat demands from unions across the health service. But having ruled out a pay rise, Mr Streeting says he will talk to the BMA to find a solution to the dispute. But to what end? Mr Streeting has insisted the Government can't improve its offer of a 5.4 per cent increase this year which follows a 22 per cent rise. Moreover, the BMA claims a mandate for a series of strikes in pursuit of 29 per cent. They cannot settle for 5.4 per cent; yet if Mr Streeting caves in and agrees to more then his credibility will be shot to pieces, along with the finances of the NHS. He faces precisely the same quandary that confronted his Tory predecessors: how to square the greater needs of the NHS with the militancy of the BMA. He appears perplexed that, after proposing a 10-year plan for the service, those working within it are more interested in feathering their own nests than rescuing the NHS from imminent collapse.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store