Striking trainee doctors will take further industrial action for nine days in early January.
Trainee doctors and trainee dentists in hospitals previously started their strike action on Wednesday (December 20, 2023) at 7am and ended on Saturday (December 23, 2023) at 7am.
The British Medical Association (BMA) claimed the government's latest offer was an extra 3 percent on top of the 9.8 percent increase already given. It said the lack of a “credible offer” forced it to launch a new round of strikes.
Health Minister Victoria Atkins said the government would “immediately look to get back to the table” if the devastating strikes were called off.
So, when exactly is the next wave of upcoming doctors' strikes in January and how long will they last? Read below to find out what you need to know about the junior doctors' strikes.
The British Medical Association (BMA) claimed the government's latest offer was an extra 3 percent on top of the 9.8 percent increase already given. It said the lack of a “credible offer” forced it to launch a new round of strikes
Complete list of trainee doctors' strikes in January 2024
The British Medical Association (BMA) is holding another trainee doctors' strike, consisting of a full six-day strike from 7am on Wednesday 3 January to 7am on Tuesday 9 January.
The trainee doctors' strike will have a significant impact on NHS hospitals and GP practices, but available staff will continue to run emergency services, including A&E and maternity wards, during the strike.
The majority of elective surgeries and outpatient appointments currently booked for this period will most likely be rescheduled, it said NHS England.
If you have an appointment during this time and it needs to be rescheduled, including if it needs to be changed to a virtual appointment, the NHS will contact you directly as soon as possible and a new appointment will be arranged.
The NHS has advised that those seeking non-urgent medical help or advice can visit NHS 111 online. However, if a person requires emergency care (serious illness, injury or life is threatened), people are encouraged to call 999.
After the pandemic, waiting lists have increased to unprecedented levels. NHS figures show that 7.8 million patients currently need routine treatment, up from the 4.5 million recorded pre-pandemic.
Insiders fear that the dire situation is likely to get worse due to the winter season and the threat of further doctors' strikes.
What has the government said about the trainee doctors' strikes?
The NHS said in a statement on its website: 'We have now seen more than a year of industrial action across the NHS and staff continue to work hard to provide patients with the best possible care in the circumstances.
The British Medical Association (BMA) is holding another trainee doctors' strike, consisting of a full six-day strike from 7am on Wednesday 3 January to 7am on Tuesday 9 January.
Industrial action has affected more than a million hospital appointments across the NHS.
In the previous round of strikes by trainee doctors in October, more than 86,000 hospital appointments were disrupted and up to 25,000 staff were dismissed per day as a result of the strike.'
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: 'It is disappointing that, despite significant progress, the BMA's Junior Doctors Committee has halted negotiations and declared new strikes, which will result in more disruption for patients and added pressure on the NHS services and staff.
'I have made it clear that I respect the work of doctors in training and want to work with them to resolve this dispute.
'We have agreed a fair and reasonable offer with the BMA's advisory committee, which will be put to a vote by members after constructive discussions.'
She added: 'If the junior doctors committee calls off their strikes, we will immediately seek to come back to the table to continue negotiations.'
The strike dates coincided with one of the busiest times of the year for the NHS, with emergency services often stretched to breaking point.
Despite five weeks of negotiations – when industrial action by trainee doctors was suspended – no agreement could be reached.
The BMA wants a 35% pay increase to compensate for previous increases that it says have been below the inflation rate since 2008.
Dr. Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA's junior doctors committee, said: 'We have been clear from the start of these discussions that we had to act quickly and if we did not have a credible offer, we would do so. be forced to strike.
'After five weeks of intensive discussions, the government was unable to make a credible offer on the reward within the deadline.
“Instead, we were offered an additional 3 percent, distributed unevenly across physician grades, which would still mean a pay cut for many physicians this year.”