NHS bosses fear fresh strikes in England as resident doctors seek 29% pay rise | NHS
Hospitals are preparing for a new series of strikes by resident doctors requesting a salary increase of 29%, in the midst of warnings that stops could cause the cancellation of hundreds of thousands of appointments and operations.
The NHS leaders fear that a ballot of resident doctors, formerly of junior doctors in England, which ends Monday will produce an industrial support for the majority.
In the affirmative, the health service will face a prolonged disruption of tens of thousands of resident doctors again organizing a series of strikes in order to obtain a salary increase of 29%. A large number of ambulatory appointments and procedures were canceled when the junior doctors were on strike for a total of 44 days between March 2023 and July 2024.
Shortly after work took power last year, Wes Street, the Secretary of Health, gave them a salary increase of 22% for 2023-24 and 2024-25, which ended their stops. But they threaten to stage six months of strikes, from this month to next winter until January 2026, after granting a salary increase of 5.4% for this year – the highest in the public sector.
The British Medical Association, which is balloting of the 55,000 resident doctors it represents, described this sum as “derisory” and “terribly inadequate”. He indicates that they deserve a salary increase of 29% in the coming years in order to ensure that resident doctors receive a “full wages” to compensate for a loss of 23% of the value of their wages since 2008.
The result of the ballot is expected on Tuesday. If BMA members vote to knock again, it will make the government difficult to reduce the backlog for hospital treatment and restore the target of 18 weeks of waiting by 2029 – its main commitment to the NHS.
Street is perfectly concerned about the impact of a vote yes. He asked resident doctors to avoid strikes. “We cannot afford to return to a continuous cycle of confrontations, strikes and cancellations,” he wrote in Times in May.
Danny Mortimer, the director general of employers of the NHS, who represents the 215 health trust in England in annual salary negotiations with NHS staff, said: “The last thing that health leaders want is the cancellation of industrial action, which leaves patients in pain and frustration.
He added: “Although we fully understand the authentic grievances that resident doctors have on their salary, their conditions and their training, the strike will have a huge impact on the NHS and the patients.”
Rachel Power, the director general of the patient association, said that she was supporting the right to strike but hoped to avoid judgments. “With the 10 -year -old health plan promising to rebuild the NHS and restore public confidence, we must ask ourselves how this can be carried out in the risk of continuous industrial action. The government and the BMA must find a solution urgently, “she added.
The apprehension of the hospital’s bosses concerning the outcome of the ballot was recently reinforced when Dr. Ross Nieuwoudt, co -president of the BMA resident doctors’ committee, said members were “excited” to the prospect of criticizing again.
“In general, and what we hear overall, the vast majority of people are delighted to leave. In the end, doctors are always very upset and are looking for changes. ”
Nieuwoudt and his co -president, Dr. Melissa Ryan, urged the members to vote yes. “By voting yes, they will say to the government that there is no alternative to compensation for remuneration. This cannot expect different budgetary circumstances and a healthier NHS,” they said.
Daniel Elkeles, the director general of the NHS Providers hospital group, said strikes would lead to trusts “dealing with disturbances rather than devoting their time to improving patient care.
“With a government examination on the training of undergoing resident doctors, this will help us to return to resident doctors who feel as appreciated as we appreciate their contribution to the success of the NHS,” he added.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Social Care said: “We want to work constructively with all unions to avoid disturbing patient services. The Secretary of State has always been clear about his priority to avoid a strike action and he met the committee of resident doctors during his very first day of government.
“We are traveling to improve the conditions of resident doctors, and they have received a salary increase of 28.9% in the past three years. Our 10 -year -old health plan will also reduce bureaucracy through the health service, reducing heavy administrative tasks and the use of technology so that doctors can spend time doing the best – take care of patients. “
