Health secretary and BMA to meet next week
The talks between the health secretary Wes Street and the British Medical Association (BMA) will take place next week in order to avoid the action of strike in the NHS in England, includes the BBC.
Resident doctors, previously known as the junior doctors, announced earlier this week that they would be released for five consecutive days from July 25 to July 30 for a dispute concerning the salary with the government.
The BMA said that strikes would only be canceled if next week’s talks produced an offer that it can make to its members.
The government has insisted that it cannot improve its 5.4% increase offer for this year.
Resident doctors obtained a salary increase of 5.4% for this exercise – which will be done in remuneration packages from August – following an increase of 22% in the previous two years.
But they argue that the salary in real terms is still about 20% lower than it was in 2008 and called on the government to define a path to restore its value.
They believe that the 5.4% increase in this year does not lead them far enough on this path.
Sources of the Health Department have told the BBC that the Secretary of Health is sympathetic to improve working conditions for resident doctors, but he will not move on wages.
After the announcement of the BMA strike, Streting described the strike as “useless and unreasonable”, adding: “The NHS is suspended by a thread – why do you devil do they threaten to pull it?”
He said that the government was “ready and willing” to work with the BMA, but that any other strike action would be a disaster for patients and push the progress made to reduce the waiting lists in England.
The co -chairs of the resident doctoral committee of the BMA, Dr. Melissa Ryan and Dr. Ross Nieuwoudt, said on Wednesday that they had not been “without choice” to strike without “credible offer to keep us on the road to the restoration of our salary”.
Lord Robert Winston, professor and television doctor who was a pioneer in the treatment of IVF, resigned from the BMA on Friday during the expected strikes.
In an interview with The Times, he urged not to strike and said it could harm people to trust in the profession.
Resident doctors participated in 11 separate strikes in 2023 and 2024.
In order to end the previous strikes last year, the new Labor government granted a rear increase worth 22% over two years.
The action in England will not affect resident doctors in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, who negotiate directly with their deconvised governments during remuneration.
The basic wages of doctors resident in England vary from £ 37,000 to £ 70,000 per year for a 40-hour week, depending on the experience, with additional payments for night changes and weekends.
This does not include the latest average compensation price of 5.4% for this year which will start to be paid in salary packets from August.
