Junior doctors’ strike: Medical chiefs call on third party to broker talks

Medical leaders from The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges have called for an independent organisation to be brought in to resolve the ongoing pay dispute between junior doctors and the government. 

Last week’s junior doctor strike led to almost 200,000 cancelled appointments and operations. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges is concerned about the impact on patients and services of prolonged industrial action. It suggested that a conciliation service such as Acas would be necessary to resolve the issue. 

The BMA, which represents junior doctors, has already reached out to Acas and said that the Academy’s intervention would increase pressure on the government to follow suit. The Academy played a key role in brokering a deal between junior doctors and the government in their last dispute in 2016. 

Junior doctors represent 40% of the medical workforce and have requested a 35% pay rise. The government has argued that the claim is “unreasonable in the current economic context.”