Patient deaths 'will decrease during doctors' strike', claims BMA chief - as he hits back at Streeting over walkout

Dr Shivam Sharma, deputy chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, told LBC: “I would completely disagree with that, and I want to be evidence-based – we know that senior colleagues, consultants will be covering this strike action.

“And we know that studies have shown that mortality rates do not increase, they stay the same, if not decrease during strike action because we have those experienced senior consultants that are covering.

“And actually, what’s dangerous for patients is continuing down this trend where doctors continue to leave patients aren’t getting the care that they deserve, and doctors are feeling that they’re in a system that is setting them up to fail.”

Read more: Streeting says he 'doesn't trust' BMA bosses as he brands doctors' strikes 'take, take, take'

Read more: Five-day doctors’ strike to go ahead as ‘superflu’ cases surge across NHS

He said that the feedback the union received was that the Government’s offer “doesn’t go far enough on both jobs and pay”.

Health minister Stephen Kinnock earlier said that the forthcoming strike by resident doctors was “dangerous, reckless and irresponsible” and accused leadership at the British Medical Association (BMA) of being “hellbent” to stage a walkout.

Speaking on Tonight with Andrew Marr on LBC, Lord Winston also told Andrew that he believes resident doctors are being "hugely misled” by the British Medical Association.

He stated he believes the BMA has "has actually manipulated this situation” and “encouraged the doctors to strike".

Members of the BMA rejected a new offer from the Government and will strike for five days from 7am on Wednesday.

He said the Government offered for the union to extend its mandate and stage the strike in January instead of December, adding: “For reasons best known to themselves, they have insisted on going ahead with this strike action right in the heart of the Christmas season, and that I think is dangerous, reckless and irresponsible.”

It comes as Labour Peer Lord Robert Winston warned that resident doctors are "creating risk of human life” with their upcoming industrial action, warning “people will die” as a result of the strikes.

It comes amid warnings of a “super flu” sweeping the nation, with flu cases in hospitals in England at a record level for this time of year.

Lord Winston told LBC he is "very concerned" about the decision from the BMA.

He said: "I'm deeply unhappy about it. I'm very, very concerned. I'm concerned for the NHS. I'm concerned for the patients, and actually, in a sense, I'm also concerned for the doctors, because I think they're hugely misled, and I don't believe that they understand really what they're doing."

The Labour peer echoed the chilling warning of Health Secretary Wes Streeting who suggested patients could die as result of the strike action.

He said: "I think the Secretary of State [Wes Streeting] has been as gentle as he could be with them. I think what they are creating is the risk of human life. There's no question about that... I think people will die of it."

Last Friday, Mr Streeting told LBC he is “genuinely fearful” for the NHS if the strike goes ahead amid surging flu cases, agreeing the collapse of the health service is now “effectively” at “one minute to midnight”.

Sir Keir Starmer has also condemned strike action by resident doctors as “irresponsible”.

The Prime Minister said he is “very gutted” that medics have voted to go ahead with walkouts this week and appealed to members of the BMA to “push back against” the union.

Sir Keir, who appeared in front of MPs on the Liaison Committee, said: “It’s irresponsible at any time, particularly at the moment.

“It comes on the back of a very substantial pay increase in the last year or so.

“There’s a deal that we’ve put on the table that could have been taken forward, and so I think it’s irresponsible action by the BMA, and not for the first time.”

The Prime Minister also said he thinks resident doctors have lost the sympathy of the public and fellow NHS staff on strike action.

The BMA said that 83% of resident doctors voted to carry on with strike action while 17% said that the offer was enough.

Turnout was 65%, according to the union.

Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said: “My message is that we should start negotiating and the Government should stop game-playing, and what we should be doing is getting round the table immediately to try and get a solution which will see us stop turning tens of thousands of resident doctors who are fully qualified away from jobs in the NHS and also value doctors to stop them from leaving the NHS, rather than the Health Secretary pushing real term pay cuts onto doctors in just a few months’ time.”

He added: “This set of strikes, and every set of strikes to come for the next few years, is entirely avoidable.”