We Will Not 'be Held To Ransom' By Striking Doctors, Says Minister

The authorities will not "be held to ransom" by striking doctors, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said.

A five-day walkout by resident doctors is owed to return spot betwixt 14-19 November, successful a long-running conflict complete pay.

Streeting told nan BBC location was a woody disposable to summation nan number of speciality training places and supply support for things for illustration exam fees.

But he said: "I can't do that if I'm spending a quarter-of-a-billion pounds gathering nan costs of strikes."

The British Medical Association (BMA) said Streeting could forestall strikes "by bringing reliable proposals to nan array and not play[ing] authorities pinch doctors who dedicate their lives to nan wellness of nan nation."

In an question and reply connected Sunday pinch Laura Kuenssberg, Streeting said nan onslaught action had "little to nary nationalist support", and would beryllium "inflicting much harm and delays to patients".

He added that nan deal, which does not see negotiating connected salary rises, remained connected nan table.

But he told nan programme: "What we will not do, however, is beryllium held to ransom and what I will not do is let those costs of strikes to beryllium inflicted connected different NHS unit who are moving constructively pinch us, aliases connected patients successful position of nan services that they receive."

The onslaught - nan 13th successful nan salary conflict since March 2023 - is expected to origin important disruption, including successful hospitals.

The BMA and nan authorities person been successful speech passim nan summertime and early autumn since nan last walkout astatine nan extremity of July, but talks collapsed down earlier this month.

Streeting has maintained he would not discuss connected salary aft resident doctors, nan caller sanction to inferior doctors, received salary rises totalling astir 30% successful nan past 3 years.

Talks had alternatively focused connected profession progression, moving conditions and out-of-pocket expenses for illustration exam fees.

But nan national argues that resident doctors' salary is still a 5th little than it was successful 2008, erstwhile ostentation is taken into account.

They person besides said they wanted nan authorities to reside what they opportunity is simply a shortage of jobs aft nan 2nd twelvemonth of training erstwhile resident doctors move into speciality training.

This twelvemonth location were much than 30,000 applicants for 10,000 jobs astatine this stage, though immoderate will person been doctors from abroad.

Streeting said nan existent authorities offer, which would supply further training places and thief pinch out-of-pocket expenses, would "be a win-win script wherever together we centrifugal up pinch nan advancement we're making successful nan NHS".

But nan BMA said nan authorities had not presented "any proposals to america which will spot nan existent alteration needed to hole nan jobs situation this year".

It added that it had requested "as small arsenic £1 per hr much complete nan adjacent fewer years" successful position of a salary woody for resident doctors.

"Mr Streeting should beryllium honorable pinch patients: we are losing doctors to different countries and professions because they can't find activity successful nan UK - contempt training present and wanting to activity here," nan connection added.

Streeting besides partially blamed erstwhile business action for an summation successful NHS waiting lists.

Latest figures show astir 6.26 cardinal patients were waiting for treatments to beryllium carried retired astatine nan extremity of August, up from 6.25 cardinal patients astatine nan extremity of July.

"We had business action by resident doctors, that had an effect and group america back, arsenic I feared it would and said it would astatine nan time," Streeting told nan programme.

"We've besides seen request outstripping maturation successful activity."

He added that he believed nan NHS would "begin to spot betterment again connected waiting lists successful nan coming months."