Pleas For Strike Doctors To Work Blocked By Union

NHS bosses person criticised nan British Medical Association for its "increasingly hardline" attack successful rejecting emergency requests for striking doctors successful England to return to work.

A strategy known arsenic 'derogation' is successful spot whereby nan NHS tin inquire for resident doctors, who are taking portion successful a five-day walkout, to transverse nan picket statement wherever diligent information is astatine risk.

As of Sunday evening, 18 requests by hospitals for derogations had been rejected successful this onslaught - nan twelfth successful nan long-running salary conflict - pinch 9 accepted.

The BMA said while it was fresh to respond to emergencies, mediocre readying and nan push to proceed non-urgent attraction successful this onslaught had stretched staffing excessively much.

However, NHS England accused nan doctors' national of putting information astatine risk, criticising a "remote BMA panel" for "second-guessing" doctors connected nan crushed who were trying to look aft patients.

A cardinal committee of elder BMA doctors makes decisions connected each derogation request.

NHS England said it was peculiarly worried astir a number of requests relating to crab attraction being turned down.

And it said nan BMA was sitting connected immoderate requests for hours - location are different 20 waiting for decisions to beryllium made.

And nan root said immoderate had been rejected because hospitals would not salary striking doctors premium rates to travel backmost in.

Before this onslaught started, nan BMA had only agreed to 5 derogations during nan full dispute.

Resident doctors, nan caller sanction for inferior doctors, are nan largest group of medics successful nan NHS, representing half nan expert workforce. They see everyone from those caller retired of assemblage done to doctors pinch up to 10 years experience.

It comes arsenic nan Royal College of Nursing is owed to denote nan results of its ballot connected salary with members expected expected to telephone for much than nan 3.6% summation they are being given.

The BBC understands location will beryllium an "overwhelming" rejection aft nan RCN antecedently described nan emergence arsenic "grotesque" arsenic nurses sewage a little summation than doctors.

This does not artifact nan salary award, but raises nan imaginable of nan national moving a general onslaught ballot later successful nan year.

Among nan derogation requests agreed by nan BMA was a expert to activity astatine Nottingham City Hospital's neonatal intensive attraction portion complete nan weekend.

Three BMA members were besides brought successful to activity an emergency section nighttime displacement astatine nan Northern General successful Sheffield.

But nan BMA rejected a petition by Milton Keynes Hospital for a expert to transportation retired prostate crab checks. In that lawsuit nan BBC understands a expert did return to activity nether their ain volition.

BMA resident expert co-leaders Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: "Patient information remains our highest privilege during onslaught action. This statement – called a nationalist derogations process – is location to strictly to beryllium utilized should a safety-critical, urgent arena occur.

"It is profoundly irresponsible for hospitals to usage it to facilitate non-urgent attraction aliases screen for mediocre readying connected their part."

They said nan BMA was moving information nan timepiece to measure nan requests, but immoderate were "confusing, inappropriate aliases supply insufficient information".

King's College Hospital successful London had a derogation agreed and past revoked for its radiology section aft what nan BMA said was a "false submission" astir staffing levels.

But nan infirmary said it acted successful bully religion and during nan clip it took nan BMA to measure nan petition it had managed to find screen from elsewhere.

NHS England sources said it was peculiarly disappointed pinch nan rejections arsenic nan nationalist organisation was now vetting each petition from hospitals to guarantee a consistency successful attack betwixt different places.

Every request, they said, was based connected "rigorous assessment".

"We perfectly recognise nan ineligible correct for group to strike, but we besides recognise that it's basal to support arsenic galore services for patients arsenic possible," they added.

The five-day onslaught by resident doctors is owed to tally until 07:00 BST connected Wednesday.