Doctors vote to go ahead with five-day strike in England this week

The five-day doctors’ strike in England will continue this week after members of the British Medical Association voted to continue the planned walkout despite a new offer from the government.

The strike of resident doctors, the new name for young doctors, is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned it was “irresponsible and dangerous” given the pressure hospitals are under due to flu.

Some 83% of BMA members voted to continue the strike in an online poll held over the weekend.

The union agreed to the early vote last week after the government presented a new deal that would see an increase in specialist training positions and support for personal expenses such as exam fees.

But it contained no promises on pay – Streeting said he would not negotiate on that after resident doctors’ pay was increased by almost 30% over the past three years.

The union says that despite the pay increases, resident doctors’ pay is still a fifth lower than in 2008, once inflation is taken into account.

Streeting said the pay demands were “fantastic”.

And he added: “The BMA chose the Christmas strikes to inflict damage on the NHS at the time of greatest danger. These strikes are complacent, irresponsible and dangerous.”

He said he hoped resident doctors would continue to work, saying the risk was of a different magnitude right now.

Data shows the number of hospitalized flu patients increased by more than 50% in a week, surpassing 2,600 in the first week of December, with authorities warning there is still no sign of a peak.

The flu arrived early this winter and the season looks particularly bad.

The strain circulating is H3N2, which tends to cause more severe illness, and it has mutated somewhat with fears that people have less immunity.

This will be the 14th strike in a long-running dispute that began in March 2023.

Resident doctors, who make up nearly half of the medical staff, will step away from emergency and elective care. Senior doctors will be recruited to provide coverage.

Dr Jack Fletcher, the BMA’s resident medical officer, said the “resounding response” should leave the health secretary in no doubt about how he has just missed the opportunity to end the industrial action.

“Tens of thousands of frontline doctors have come together to say ‘no’ to what is clearly too little, too late,” he added.

He said any solution must focus on pay.

But he added that the union was “committed to ensuring patient safety” and would be in close contact with NHS England throughout the strike to address concerns as they arise.

Rory Deighton, of the NHS Confederation, which represents hospitals, said: “It is bitterly disappointing that the BMA has rejected this offer and chosen to continue with its extremely disruptive strike action.

“These strikes come at the worst possible time, with rapidly rising flu levels putting a strain on hospitals.”