Atkins' response to BMA strike announcement

The Health and Social Care Secretary has responded to the BMA committee’s announcement of fresh strike dates this month.

Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said:

“I want to find a reasonable solution that ends strike action. This action called by the BMA Junior Doctor Committee does not signal that they are ready to be reasonable.

“We already provided them with a pay increase of up to 10.3% and were prepared to go further. We urged them to put an offer to their members, but they refused. We are also open to further discussions on improving doctors’ and the wider workforce’s working lives.

“I want to focus on cutting waiting times for patients rather than industrial action. We have been making progress with waiting lists falling for three months in a row.

“Five days of action will put enormous pressure on the NHS and is not in the spirit of constructive dialogue. To make progress I ask the Junior Doctor’s Committee to cancel their action and come back to the table to find a way forward for patients and our NHS.”