BMA calls on prime minister to correct record on doctors’ pay

The British Medical Association (BMA) has called on the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to correct the record after he said in Prime Minister’s Questions that consultants and specialty and specialist (SAS) doctors had “reached a fair and reasonable pay settlement with the government”.

According to the BMA, the government has not reached a deal with consultants or specialty doctors and it questioned whether it was a ‘cynical ploy’ by the Prime Minister to split the profession, and undermine and isolate junior doctors, who, despite their willingness to negotiate, are yet to receive a credible offer from the government.

Dr Emma Runswick, BMA deputy council chair, added:  “Offers presented in negotiations with the BMA are being voted on by both consultants and SAS doctors – of which specialty doctors represent just one group – and then we will decide whether these offers are acceptable and are enough to bring an end to both disputes. Nothing has been decided yet.

“This is not the first time the PM has made this claim, and having now done so in Parliament, he must urgently correct the record.”

The comment came a day after the latest wave of junior doctor strikes came to an end. The current strike, which began at 7am last Wednesday and ended at 7am yesterday, has been the longest in the NHS’s 75-year history.

The mandate for strike action lasts until the end of February and the BMA has already said that it is prepared to extend that mandate in case it needs to strike in the future.

Too early to know full impact of the longest strikes in NHS history

Health leaders say that they now face the mop-up challenge of rebooking the tens of thousands of patients whose planned care was displaced and as yet they do not know how many patients avoided coming forward for care due to the strikes and what kind of backlog this could create for already overstretched services.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, added: “It is too early to say what the full impact of the longest strikes in NHS history has been and how many patients have had their vital appointments or operations postponed.

“The NHS will take time to recover, but it is still the middle of winter and with a cold snap on the horizon services could face yet more pressure. Consultants who covered for their junior doctor colleagues could also be taking time off now, which may lead to a further drop in productivity.

“Now that the strikes are coming to an end the government and BMA should re-start negotiations and end this dispute which is having such an impact on patients and the NHS.”