Several junior doctors PMGallagher1 spoke to said week-long strikes were “almost inevitable” if the standoff continued, following three-days of strikes in March and four days next week
Nick Scriven, a Yorkshire-based consultant and former president of the Society for Acute Medicine, told: “Sadly like pretty much any industrial action scenario like this where there does not seem to be willingness by the employer to negotiate the only option open is escalating action. In this respect junior doctors and their reps, given the huge mandate for action, have little alternative.
The doctors’ union said it had received a letter from the minister on Wednesday saying he was serious about “rapidly settling this dispute”. The BMA responded saying a credible offer, one that indicates Mr Barclay “really is serious” about pay restoration and willing to negotiate to resolve 15 years of “pay erosion”, could stop the strikes.
The spokesman said: “We are working with NHS England to put in place contingency plans to protect patient safety. The NHS will prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care and trauma.” Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers, said although trust leaders will “pull out all the stops to mitigate the significant risk to patients of next week’s strike”, the period will be “an incredibly difficult time for front-line services”.
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