Resident doctors return to work after six days of strike action
Health officials said workers across the NHS “have responded heroically” to the disruption.
Resident doctors in England are returning to work today following a six-day walkout.
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It comes after health officials said workers across the NHS “have responded heroically” to the disruption.
The walkout is part of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) long-running row with the Government over jobs and pay.
It was the 15th round of industrial action by resident doctors since 2023.
Prior to the latest strike, the BMA had rejected an offer from the Government which included a 4.9 per cent increase in average basic pay.
Speaking to LBC on Sunday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting urged resident doctors to come to the table to negotiate, stressing that he hasn't given up on a deal.
Read more: Streeting ‘not given up hope’ of deal with resident doctors as strike action enters weekend
“We've delivered a 28.9 per cent pay rise for resident doctors. We finally got the NHS going in the right direction.
“Lowest waiting list in three years, fastest ambulance response times in half a decade.
"There are plenty of proof points now that under Labour, the NHS is improving, but we could be doing so much more quickly if we were all rowing in the same direction,” Mr Streeting told Lewis Goodall on Sunday.
On Saturday, Professor Ramani Moonesinghe, national clinical director for critical and perioperative care at NHS England, said “staff across the NHS have responded heroically to keeping patients safe” during the walkout.
He added that it had been “particularly challenging to fill rotas off the back of the Easter bank holiday weekend”.
Resident doctors represented by the BMA have a mandate for strike action until August.
The latest walkout is expected to cost the NHS £300 million.Senior doctors will also be balloted on industrial action after ministers announced a 3.5% pay award.
Simultaneous ballots of consultants and specialist, associate specialist and specialty (SAS) doctors will run from May 11 until July 6.