Wes Streeting and resident doctors urged to agree to mediation to end strikes | NHS

Exasperated NHS bosses have urged Wes Streeting and the British Medical Association to agree to independent mediation to end industrial action by resident doctors, who will begin their latest strike on Wednesday.

The Health Secretary and the doctors’ union have been urged to embrace the idea in a bid to urgently break the impasse in their increasingly bitter dispute which health service bosses say is causing “collateral damage” to patients.

An arbitrator could work to bridge the gap between them and resolve England’s 33-month dispute, said the NHS Confederation, which represents hospital bosses.

Thousands of resident – ​​formerly junior – doctors in England will strike from 7am on Wednesday for five days in their 14th strike action since 2023.

Hospitals have canceled tens of thousands of tests and treatments to help them cope with the additional pressure they will face until the strike ends at 7 a.m. next Monday, December 22.

Last chance talks on Tuesday between the Health Secretary and the BMA were “constructive” but failed to reach an agreement on wages and employment.

Sir Jim Mackey, director of NHS England, condemned the strike as “cruel”, “calculated” and aimed at “causing chaos” as it coincides with one of the toughest weeks of the year for the health service.

The confederation’s call for both sides to let an independent figure attempt to find a solution to the long-running dispute over pay and employment reflects a growing fear within the NHS that the dispute could “draw on” into the next year unless a radical move is made to find a settlement.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the confederation, said: “Clearly the current impasse between the Government and the BMA Resident Doctors Committee is detrimental to all parties, but the repercussions will be felt most severely by patients.

“Like our members, they will be extremely concerned as this war of words continues to play out in public and both sides strengthen in their positions. Common ground is urgently needed, which independent mediation could support.

“This would facilitate more constructive dialogue between the government and the BMA Resident Doctors Committee and help end this conflict once and for all.

“As we have seen in previous waves of industrial action, a period of renegotiation is likely to occur eventually. But with waiting lists this long, health leaders believe the time is right, to avoid more patients and staff becoming collateral damage in this increasingly hostile conflict that has gone on for far too long.

“It is crucial that both parties continue to do everything in their power to find common ground as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we could see industrial action becoming the defining feature of the NHS in 2026, which no one wants.”

Resident doctors are seeking a 26% pay rise over the next three years and a much larger expansion of training places than Streeting has proposed, allowing first-time doctors to pursue their chosen field of medicine, despite the health secretary’s increase from 1,000 to 4,000.

The Health Secretary has repeatedly described the 26% figure as unaffordable, given the state of public finances.

The BMA on Tuesday evening reinforced the likelihood that strikes will continue for months. Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the resident doctors committee, said ministers should realize “how poorly they have handled this situation”.

“If the government continues its pattern of denial, harsh words and hasty half-measures, then we will find ourselves stuck in the cycle of strikes well into the new year,” he added.

The legal strike mandate for resident doctors expires on January 6. The BMA is already planning to review the 55,000 doctors it represents, out of the 70,000 in the NHS in England.

Fletcher reiterated the BMA’s demand that ministers “provide a clear pathway to responsibly raise wages over several years, and enough genuinely new jobs instead of recycled jobs, so that there is no further need for strikes for the rest of this government”.

The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs did not respond directly to the call for mediation. A spokesperson said: “The Secretary of State and officials met with the BMA Resident Doctors Committee today. [Tuesday] negotiations to try to avoid this week’s strikes.

“Every effort has been made to avoid tomorrow’s strike. Although constructive, they have failed to reach an agreement. We will now focus on working with the whole NHS team to minimize the disruption caused by the strikes.”

The BMA did not respond to a request for comment.