Resident Doctors Strike in England Enters Sixth Day

Resident doctors in England entered their sixth day of a six-day strike on April 7, 2024, after rejecting the government's pay and workforce deal. The British Medical Association (BMA), representing about 55,000 resident doctors, nearly half of the medical workforce, argued that the offer failed to reverse years of pay erosion and address staffing pressures.

The strike comes during the Easter holiday period and is set to run until April 13. Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a 48-hour ultimatum for an agreement, which passed without resolution. As a result, the government withdrew its pledge to fund 1,000 additional specialty training posts, contingent on the deal being accepted.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting accused resident doctors of 'torpedoing' their own pay rises and training jobs by walking out. He estimated that the strike would cost the health service about £50m (R1.11bn) a day, or £300m (R6.69bn) over the six-day walkout.

The BMA apologized for the disruption but maintained that the government had not adequately addressed pay claims or job shortages. The union stated that 'no one wants to strike' but felt compelled due to the lack of a credible offer from the government. Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee, expressed concerns over reduced investment levels and uncertainties in implementing new training posts.

The pay offer included a 3.5% increase this year, which the government said would represent an above-inflation rise, taking total pay increases over three years to about 35%. The offer also included reimbursements of mandatory exam fees, which can cost doctors thousands of pounds.

The strike has caused significant disruptions across NHS services. Cheltenham General Hospital's A&E will run as a minor injuries unit only during the strike. Patients are experiencing delays in appointments, including cancer patient check-ups and follow-ups after mini strokes. The Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB) urged patients to 'choose services appropriately' during this period.

According to BBC, NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey said that despite the challenges, hospitals were coping well with the strike on its first day. In a letter to health managers, he stated that while it was early in the six-day strike, the NHS was 'in as good a place as we could hope.' Hospitals have drafted senior doctors to cover emergency and urgent care, but some pre-planned operations and treatments have been cancelled.

The BMA has been accused of hypocrisy for offering its own staff a below-inflation pay rise of 2.75% while demanding a 26% increase for resident doctors. The union rejected an offer from Wes Streeting that would have given resident doctors a pay rise averaging 4.9% this year—almost twice the increase it is offering its own workers.

Donna Thomas, a regional organiser for GMB, which represents staff at the BMA, said: 'The BMA is asking the government for pay restoration for their doctor members but have failed to restore the pay of their own staff, who have seen their wages eroded nearly 17%.' The BMA staff affected include admin workers, policy experts, communication officers, IT specialists and negotiators.

Streeting said the offer rejected by the BMA would have delivered an average pay rise this year of 4.9%, a pay boost of at least 6.2% for the lowest-paid doctors, and an overall pay increase of 35.2% on average compared with four years ago.

Dr Jack Fletcher expressed his sorrow over the strike but stated that they 'feel like we had no choice.' He added: 'I don’t think that it’s in the interests of the government to be using doctors’ jobs as political pawns when we have an epidemic of corridor care, when we have people struggling to get GP appointments, we have waiting lists, which still remain stubbornly high.'

According to BBC, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told the BBC the government 'categorically' did not change its deal with resident doctors to end ongoing industrial action over pay and jobs. He also said he wanted to meet the 'organ grinders' from the British Medical Association (BMA) resident doctors' committee for further negotiations but claimed they had 'point blank refused'. Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the committee, responded that one or two-year settlements were discussed in negotiations and 'at the very last minute' the government insisted 'a three-year deal was the only option, with reduced investment'.

In a statement to BBC, Fletcher also said the BMA resident doctors' committee remained 'open and willing to meet with the health secretary'. He added that throughout this dispute, the BMA has 'negotiated in good faith with a genuine desire to reach a resolution'. Streeting told BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that resident doctors 'had a 28.9% pay rise within the first weeks of this Labour government'.

There's a deal on the table that would have given them an average 4.9% more for this year, 7.1% for some of the lowest-paid doctors.