Wes Streeting has made an improved offer to end a long-running dispute with local doctors before their strike next week threatens to wreak havoc on the struggling NHS flu surge.
The Health Secretary has pledged to double the number of extra places available to aspiring doctors. England can apply to study in the field of medicine in which they have chosen to specialize.
He hopes his “substantial proposal” to the British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors' union, will “end resident doctors' strikes once and for all”.
It does not include pay increases this year and does not take into account resident doctors' demand for a 26% pay rise over the next few years, on top of the 28.9% increase they have had since 2023.
In a sign that its move may be enough to persuade the BMA to call off strike action next week, the union has agreed to include the proposal among resident (formerly junior) doctors in a survey. He promised he would cancel the five-day shutdown, which was scheduled to begin Dec. 17, if that's what members want.
The strike caused great concern throughout the world. National Health Service which is struggling to cope with a record 1,700 people in hospital beds with flu for this time of year and a growing number of hospitals being forced to declare a “critical incident” because they cannot cope.
Sir Jim McKee, chief executive of the National Health Service in England, last week criticized next week's strike as “cruel and calculated to cause chaos at a time when the service is doing its best” in the run-up to Christmas when it is under intense pressure.
Streeting has doubled from 2,000 to 4,000 the number of specialist training places he promises to create in England's National Health Service to try to unblock a bottleneck that has developed in recent years and has left thousands of doctors unable to continue their careers. The government's 10-year health plan only called for an extra 1,000 training places a year, but Streeting doubled that number to 2,000 last month in a proposal that the BMA promptly rejected.
Competition among doctors for training places has increased dramatically over the past few years, with up to 30,000 doctors a year vying for just 10,000 places.
The BMA said Streeting's vastly improved proposal proved the strike was indeed helping doctors achieve their goals.
“This proposal is the result of thousands of resident doctors showing that they are willing to stand up for their profession and their future. The strike should not have gone on, but make no mistake, it is the strike that has brought us this far,” said Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA's resident doctors committee.
Streeting accompanied his proposal with further criticism of a five-day strike planned for next week. “I cannot understand the willful negligence with which BMA management decided to inflict this pain on patients, other staff and the NHS itself. This is one of the most disgraceful episodes in the BMA's long history,” he said.
He called on local doctors to vote for the deal, which he said would mean “more jobs, better career opportunities”. [and] more money in your pockets… [and] stop the strikes.”
after promoting the newsletter
Resident doctors have gone on strike 13 times since March 2023, including last month. They stopped working for a total of 49 days. The BMA will announce the results of the survey on Monday 15 December.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of hospital group NHS Providers, said: “This proposal shows that the government has listened to the real training issues raised by the BMA and has come to a constructive, sensible and, we hope, decisive solution.
“The NHS is under enormous operational pressure and the possibility of further strikes next week is a huge concern, especially as we face a tidal wave of flu.”
Rory Deighton, director of emergency services at NHS Confederation, said: “It is great that the BMA is considering this new government proposal to end this long-running dispute and potentially prevent hugely disruptive industrial action next week.
“These strikes will come at the worst possible time as rapidly rising levels of flu will put enormous pressure on hospitals and, despite NHS leaders working incredibly hard to prepare, we are concerned that this could put patient safety at risk.
“These strikes are disproportionate given the generous pay increases for resident doctors. We urge resident doctors to seriously consider this proposal, which addresses access to specialist training and issues around exams and membership fees.”
