A strike by resident doctors in England next week could be averted after ministers offered a new deal to the British Medical Association.
The doctors' union has agreed to present the proposal to members in the coming days – if they support it, the five-day strike starting on Wednesday 17 December could be called off.
The proposal includes a rapid expansion of training specialist positions, as well as covering out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees.
But it does not include any promise of additional payment. Health Secretary Wes Streeting was adamant that he would not negotiate on the issue, given that resident doctors (the new name for junior doctors) have seen their pay rise by almost 30% in the last three years.
The deal also includes the introduction of emergency legislation so the NHS can give priority to doctors who studied and worked in the UK for specialist training positions, which resident doctors move into in their third year of training.
There was intense competition for these positions this year, with 30,000 applicants vying for 10,000 positions. Some of these will be overseas doctors, who under current rules should be assessed on the same basis as UK doctors.
The number of specialty positions will also increase by 4,000 – the first 1,000 of which will be available from next year.
The BMA will now consult resident doctor members in England on whether the proposal will be enough to call off the strike next week. The membership survey will be conducted online and closes on Monday, December 15th.
If members say calling off these strikes is sufficient, a formal referendum by resident doctors will follow, giving members time to consider the details of the proposal and decide whether to accept it and end the current dispute, the BMA said.
If a member survey decides that calling off the strikes is not enough, they will continue as planned next week.
Chairman of the BMA Resident Doctors Committee, Dr Jack Fletcher, said: “This proposal is the result of thousands of resident doctors demonstrating their commitment to standing up for their profession and its future.
“We should not have taken the strike, but make no mistake: it was the strike that brought us this far.
“We have forced the government to recognize the scale of the problems and respond with training and prioritization measures.
“However, this proposal does not contribute to the restoration of doctors’ pay, which remains within the purview of the government.”
