Junior doctors have agreed to enter talks with the government after three days of strikes last week.
On Friday evening (17 March) the British Medical Association and the Department of Health and Social Care said they had agreed to enter negotiations on the same terms as unions representing other healthcare staff, who paused strike action to consider a pay offer last week.
NHS figures revealed that more than 175,000 appointments and procedures had to be postponed during the strike action last week.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of NHS Confederation, said this series of strikes had been “more disruptive than all the other strikes combined”.
“With over 175,000 appointments and operations postponed, the impact has been huge and must prompt the government and BMA to get back round the table to bring an end to the dispute,” he said.
Healthcare strikes
NHS pay deal confirmed: Strikes suspended as unions urge members to accept
“Over the last three days, demand seems to have been higher than expected, particularly in emergency departments, with one reporting that they averaged one patient arrival every four minutes.”
The BMA is seeking “pay restoration” for junior doctors, claiming their pay has fallen in real terms by 26% since 2008/9. To reverse this, they would need a 35.3% pay rise.
The DHSC said in a statement it “deeply regrets” the cancellation of so many appointments, adding: “We are pleased the BMA has now accepted our offer to enter talks based on the same terms as with the agenda for change unions, which concluded positively this week.
“We want to find a fair settlement which recognises the crucial role of junior doctors and the wider economic pressures facing the UK, as we have done with other unions.”
Nurses, ambulance workers, midwives and physiotherapists are now considering a pay offer of 5% from April, alongside a £1,655 one-off payment to top up the past year’s pay award.
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Research from Leeds University published last week showed that junior doctors often feel “desperate” due to long hours, intense workloads, a lack of support from senior colleagues and toxic interpersonal relationships.
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