04.01.16
Junior doctor strikes confirmed after talks break down
The BMA has confirmed that junior doctor strikes will go ahead from 12 January after talks between its members and NHS Employers broke down once again this afternoon.
Unless progress is made, the 24-hour action will see junior doctors only providing emergency care. This will be followed by a second 48-hour strike from 26 January, during which trainee doctors will provide emergency care services only.
A full walkout has been scheduled for 10 February from 8am.
Dr Mark Porter, BMA council chair, commented: “After weeks of further negotiations, it is clear that the government is still not taking junior doctors’ concerns seriously. Furthermore, the government has repeatedly dragged its feet throughout this process, initially rejecting our offer of talks and failing to make significant movement during negotiations.
“We sincerely regret the disruption that industrial action will cause, but junior doctors have been left with no option. It is because the government’s proposals would be bad for patient care as well as junior doctors in the long-term that we are taking this stand.”
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said it was “extremely disappointing” that negotiations have failed to break the impasse between the government and the BMA over proposed contracts for junior doctors.
“Once again patients are being caught in the middle of this bitter dispute,” she added. “The Patients Association understand the concerns of junior doctors. We know they are worried about the impact that the proposed contracts would have on patient safety, particularly around pressures to work excessive hours. “
Murphy has urged the government and the BMA to continue to work towards finding an agreement that “is in the best interests of patients, and that will avert this strike action that nobody wants”.
Information for both junior and non-junior doctors, including picket line locations, can be found on the BMA website.
For more information on the junior doctor row and to keep up to date with stories, access NHE's exclusive timeline of events dating back to 2013.