TL;DR
- Doctors in England will strike from 17 to 22 December due to a lack of government action on job security and pay issues.
- This follows a series of strikes, with last month marking the 13th such action since March 2023, costing the NHS £300 million.
- The British Medical Association is preparing to ballot its members to extend strike action mandate until August next year.
Doctors in England to go on strike in run-up to Christmas | UK News
Doctors in England will strike in the run-up to Christmas, the British Medical Association has confirmed.
Resident doctors, formerly junior doctors, will walk out from 17 to 22 December.
It comes after a five-day walkout last month.
The strikes follow the “continuing failure of the government to make a credible offer on jobs or pay”, the BMA said.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee (RDC), said: “With the government failing to put forward a credible plan to fix the jobs crisis for resident doctors at the same time as pushing a real terms pay cut for them, we have no choice but to announce more strike dates.
“However, these do not need to go ahead. Gradually raising pay over a few years and some common-sense fixes to the job security of our doctors are well within the reach of this government.
“It would ensure both the long-term strength of our healthcare workforce and spare the country the indignity of see unemployed doctors at a time patients are queuing up to even even see a GP.”
He added: “This month we’ve seen the full farcical extent of the jobs crisis, with second-year doctors applying for training posts being asked to provide evidence of experience well beyond what would have previously been asked of them.
“It is precisely this sort of situation which is driving doctors away from jobs and to the picket line. But it is not too late for government to get a grip on the situation.”
Previous resident doctor strikes took place from 25 to 30 July and 14 to 19 November.
Last month’s industrial action was the 13th strike since March 2023. The summer walkout was estimated to have cost the health service £300m.
Last week, the BMA announced it would be balloting its resident doctor members on extending its mandate for strike action, which runs out in January.
If the vote is successful, the mandate would extend to August next year.
The ballot will run from 8 December until 2 February.
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