Junior doctors in England will strike for five days from July 13 in what is thought to be the longest single period of industrial action in the history of the health service, the British Medical Association announced on Friday.
The five-day walkout comes amid a bitter dispute over pay and follows three previous rounds of industrial action.
Co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: “It has been almost a week since the last round of strikes finished but not once have we heard from Rishi Sunak or Steve Barclay in terms of reopening negotiations since their collapse of our talks and cancelling all scheduled meetings a month ago. What better indication of how committed they are to ending this dispute could we have?
“As their refusal to even discuss pay restoration leads to continued disruption to the health service, more than four-fifths of junior doctors report finding their patients supportive – they understand the value of a fully staffed and resourced NHS.”
They added: ““We are announcing the longest single walkout by doctors in the NHS’s history – but this is not a record that needs to go into the history books.
“Even now the Government can avert our action by coming to the table with a credible offer on pay restoration. Restoring pay can stem the flow of Australian job adverts in doctors’ social media feeds – and lead to a future 75 years of doctors being paid fairly, in a rebuilt workforce and NHS that this country can continue to be proud of.”
Hospital consultant members of the BMA in England are currently being balloted over strike action over pay, with a walk out set to take place on July 20 and 21 if consultants vote in favour. Results from the ballot are due by the end of the month.
The BMA has ruled out the possibility of junior doctors and consultants striking simultaneously,
An average of 4,566 doctors walked out in London, which is at least 600 more than the North East, the second worst-affected region.
The BMA is seeking a 35 per cent pay rise to restore a real-terms fall in income since 2008, arguing that junior doctors are struggling to pay rent and bills during the cost-of-living crisis.
But Health Secretary Steve Barclay has branded the pay demand “unaffordable”, with both sides remaining deadlocked.
Other unions have already settled a pay dispute with ministers after the NHS staff council voted to accept the Government’s revised pay offer for staff on the Agenda for Change contract including paramedics, nurses and physiotherapists.
The offer consisted of a 5 per cent pay rise for this year and a cash sum for last year.
