THE British Medical Association has responded defiantly to Labour PM Starmer’s threat to break his pledge to train 1,000 new doctors unless the union calls off its planned six-day strike beginning at 7am next Tuesday ‘within 48 hours’.
BMA resident doctor committee chair Dr Jack Fletcher yesterday accused the government of ‘shifting the goal posts’ of the deal at the last minute.
Responding to Starmer’s ‘48 hours’ threat, which he made in yesterday’s Times newspaper, Dr Fletcher said: ‘The government made very late changes to the pay offer, reducing the pay investment and stretching it over a longer period in a way that had not been previously talked about. Ministers effectively moved the goalposts on the deal at the last minute.
‘NHS England has already confirmed that 1,000 posts are going ahead which is absolutely the right thing to do for doctors and patients.
‘Removing potential doctors’ posts at a time when corridor care and GP queues are already putting the NHS under pressure, is clearly bad for patients.
‘Creating posts and improving patient care should not be dependent on calling off a strike.
‘But these negotiations are not about arbitrary cut-offs as the Prime Minister seems to think. Any “deadline” disappears the moment there is a credible and sustainable offer on the table.
‘Our focus remains on getting a good deal for both doctors and for patients, and we are seeking to talk once again with the government later today (Tuesday) with every intention of achieving a meaningful outcome that could see the strikes called off and a pay deal we can support.’
The 1,000 extra training places, which were to be created this year, were part of a package of government measures that would see a total of at least 4,000 extra specialty posts created over the next three years.
Meanwhile, the BMA announced yesterday afternoon that it will ballot senior doctors in England for industrial action, as consultants and SAS doctors both escalate their disputes with the government following a lack of progress in talks and last week’s inadequate pay award.
Simultaneous ballots of consultants and specialist, associate specialist, and specialty (SAS) doctors will run from 11 May until 6th July.
Should the ballots be successful, the government risks having all doctors working in secondary care in England taking industrial action at the same time.
BMA consultants committee co-chairs Dr Shanu Datta and Dr Helen Neary said that the government is ‘devaluing our top clinical leaders – whether that’s through driving them to burnout, not enabling them to lead service development, quality improvement and education of future consultants, or indeed through real-terms pay cuts.’
They warned: ‘In the short term, ministers must ask themselves whether they can afford to have all hospital doctors with a mandate to take industrial action at the same time.
‘In the longer term, what message does it send about their ability to safeguard the future of the medical profession, the sustainability of healthcare in the UK and the health of the population, when they are not prepared to recognise its most expert clinicians and keep them caring for the public and their health?’
BMA SAS committee chair Dr Ujjwala Mohite said: ‘SAS doctors continue to be overlooked as the NHS’s unsung heroes – dedicated and expert clinicians but underappreciated and undervalued by employers, healthcare leaders and politicians.
‘Alongside pay erosion, SAS doctors face barriers to career development and lack of opportunities that recognise their skills and value they bring to hospitals and patients.
‘Despite making clear that we were no longer taking this lying down and that our members are prepared to act, we’ve seen far too little progress from the government in talks.’
• See editorial
