New strikes by junior doctors pose a ‘dramatic risk’ to patients, health leaders warn amid what is set to be the longest walkout in NHS history

Strikes planned by trainee doctors for January will pose 'dramatic risk' to patients, health leaders say.

Danny Mortimer, CEO of NHS Employers, has warned that the hospital workforce seen during this week's industrial action will not be 'sustainable' next month.

He said “most teams are dreading” the first week of January as it is typically the most challenging week of the year and services are “already facing huge demand”.

Junior doctors are currently on their third day of a 72-hour strike and will return to work tomorrow before striking for another six days from January 3 – the longest strike in the history of the NHS.

In a letter to Professor Philip Banfield, chairman of the British Medical Association council, Mr Mortimer called on the union to grant more exemptions when doctors could cross picket lines to help.

He wrote: 'Your joint letter with NHS England makes it clear that in relation to the December action the process of staff recalls and departures remains largely the same as in previous strikes.

'This arrangement is not sustainable in January.

'In previous periods of industrial action carried out solely by your junior doctor members, the core tasks typically carried out by striking junior doctors were taken over by other medical colleagues and members of the wider team.

“This position is not sustainable in January.”

Mr Mortimer's letter continued: 'I recognize that there are numerous examples of where our colleagues cannot do their very best for their patients, but the first half of January is one of the times when this risk increases dramatically. I would urge the BMA leadership not to worsen this position during the strike action in January.”

Professor Banfield said the BMA is 'strongly committed to ensuring patients are safe during strikes'.

Health Minister Victoria Atkins said on BBC Radio 4's Today program yesterday: 'Consultants, nurses and other doctors who are not on strike are coming in today and yesterday, and will continue to do so, and doing extra shifts to make sure ensure that that level of care is provided to patients. The junior doctors committee is expected to pick up the slack from their strikes.”

She suggested that ministers and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care should “come back around the table in 20 minutes” for talks if the strikes are called off.

She added that “many” doctors will feel “deeply uncomfortable that their committee has called these strikes at this time.”

She said: 'I would encourage anyone who feels that way to consider carefully whether this committee does indeed represent their position.'

The BMA is calling for trainee doctors to be paid, which the government says would see a 35 per cent increase and be 'unaffordable'.

Nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics have called off strikes over pay agreements, but trainee doctors have rejected the government's offer of a 3 percent increase on top of the average 8.8 percent pay increase over 2023-2024.

An NHS Trust director told The Guardian that the pay row “severed” relationships between doctors and trainee consultants as they felt the disruption had gone on for too long and that trainees “didn't have much to complain about”.

Dr. Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA's junior doctors committee, said: 'During the negotiations with the government we had a mutually agreed deadline by which they had to make a credible offer.

'This deadline passed and we were therefore forced to strike. We have not avoided negotiations and we are always ready to talk to Ms. Atkins.

“It is the government's insistence that they will not talk while strikes are planned, which blocks progress and wastes unnecessary time.”