‘Reckless’ doctor strike will cost ‘a quarter of a BILLION pounds’

Resident doctors could cost the NHS almost ‘a quarter of a billion pounds’ if their ‘self-defeating’ strike action goes ahead, Wes Streeting warned today. 

The Health Secretary hit out at the British Medical Association (BMA) — the union representing resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors — arguing they were ‘not only disrupting care for patients’ but ‘also shooting themselves in the foot’. 

A five-day strike in England will begin on Friday, marking the 13th time since 2022 that the group of medics have taken industrial action.  

Health chiefs also fear the walkout will coincide with Britain’s worst flu season on record. 

Latest figures show flu hospital admissions have risen 60 per cent in a single week, with cases in England, three times higher than normal. 

BMA bosses have claimed they had ‘little option but to call for strike action’ after the Government had failed to make a ‘credible offer’ over jobs and pay. 

The health secretary, however, today argued resident doctors had pocketed a 28.9 per cent pay rise over the past three years — the ‘highest pay increase of the entire public sector’ — and he would not move further on pay.

He told BBC Breakfast: ‘It is extremely frustrating, in fact, self-defeating that the BMA have chosen to go on strike, not least because this is the group of staff, the resident doctors, who’ve had a 28.9 per cent pay rise from this government — from me as Health Secretary. 

‘They’ve also had the highest pay increase of the entire public sector two years on the trot.

‘And even after all of that, I have been sat around the table in good faith with BMA resident doctors to say I can’t move any more pay, we can’t afford to — look at the public finances, read the room.

‘I’ve got to be honest, if they are out on strike this week costing us just shy of a quarter of a billion pounds, some of the things I’ve offered as additional will no longer be affordable this year.

‘So they’re not only setting back the NHS recovery, they’re not only disrupting care for patients, they’re also shooting themselves in the foot.’

Ms Streeting had hoped to avert the walkout last week after offering the BMA a package of measures including more specialist training places and help with exam fees.

But the proposal was rejected by the union in just four hours.     

In a separate interview with LBC radio, Mr Streeting claimed that his first call today would be with the ‘chair of the BMA resident doctors’ committee to make a last-minute appeal for him to do the right thing and for his members to do the right thing’.

He added: ‘What’s frustrated me most of all is I have offered to go further on things that are out-of-pocket expenses for resident doctors to create the jobs that they’re crying out for.

‘And what they often come back with is: “But you’re not moving on pay”.’

It comes as NHS England chief executive, Sir Jim Mackey, also wrote to all NHS trust leaders urging them to go ahead with nearly all planned operations during the upcoming doctors’ strikes.

Sir Jim, who took up the role earlier this year, called for a ‘laser focus’ on four priority areas.

These included maintaining emergency care and maternity services, ensuring efficient discharge of patients fit to go home, and ‘maintaining elective care to the fullest extent possible — with at least 95 per cent of elective activity continuing compared with what would otherwise have been expected’.

The other key area was maintaining ‘priority treatments’, Sir Jim wrote, including urgent planned surgery and cancer care.

Resident doctors make up around half of all doctors in the NHS.

During their first foundation year after finishing their medical degree, resident doctors in England earn a basic salary of £38,831. In their second year, this rises to £44,439.

Medics are often expected to work night shifts, weekends and longer hours for extra payments.

After eight years or more as a resident doctor, salaries can progress to around £70,000.

The BMA claimed first year resident doctor pay is 21 per cent lower in real terms than it was in 2008.

It wants pay for the group to be brought back in line with the level it was at 17 years ago, when they say their value of their pay started to be eroded.

The claim is based on a measure of inflation called the Retail Price Index (RPI) — this includes housing costs and shows higher price increases than some other inflation measures.

However, the government says RPI is outdated. 

Instead, it uses the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) to calculate inflation and pay increases. 

CPI looks at the cost of goods and services based on a basket of household items. 

Using the CPI measure, the government says resident doctors’ current pay is fair.

Analysis from health think tank the Nuffield Trust has suggested that pay has fallen 5 per cent since 2008 if CPI is used.

Earlier this year, a YouGov poll also found that 48 per cent of Britons oppose resident doctors going on strike, while 39 per cent support them taking action.

YouGov said this ‘marks a shift in opinion’ of public support of striking junior doctors last summer, when the majority of Britons — 52 per cent — said they supported the action.