Top NHS official warns doctors that five-day resident doctors strike will harm patients

“As doctors, we are slightly different from other groups in that, yes, we have the right to strike, but we also have to make sure that we put the patient right at the centre of absolutely everything we do, and we must never harm patients.”

Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, are poised for five days of action in a row over pay after talks aimed at averting the strike broke down earlier this week. Thousands of resident doctors are expected to join the strike, which is the 12th by resident doctors since March 2023.

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has since told hospital leaders “we have your backs” if they need to make hard decisions on staffing, according to reports.

Referring to the talks with the BMA, he also apparently said the resident doctors’ committee were “either stringing us along, or, more likely, couldn’t carry their committee and just swam with the tide instead” after they came out against a proposal he had thought they supported.

Professor Briggs said there has been a commitment by the government to look at non-pay factors in a “very sympathetic way”.

“So I can’t understand how we are in this position from the BMA” he said.

“When I speak to resident doctors, it’s not about the core pay. It’s about the non-pay, about their rotas of selection, the bottleneck and training, how they fund their courses, how they fund their exams and medical equipment.”

His comments come as NHS England boss Sir Jim Mackey urged hospital leaders to keep routine operations and appointments going if possible and to only cancel if there is a risk to patient safety.

The BMA later hit out at NHS England, warning plans to continue routine care could put patients at risk as consultants may not be able to cover both that and emergency care demands.

BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin said: “At best this will leave hospital managers and senior doctors confused over what they should be planning for this week, resulting in last-minute cancellations, and at worst puts patients at risk in both emergency and planned care settings.

“Senior doctors cannot simultaneously cover for striking resident doctors in emergency departments, while also continuing routine work, and NHS England is being irresponsible by suggesting they can do both.”

But Professor Briggs said: “This time, we will be covering the emergency services, and we will be doing as much of elective cares as we can, and that is absolutely the right thing to do.”

Meanwhile, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AMoRC), which represents medical colleges across the country, has urged the British Medical Association (BMA) to suspend its guidance for doctors, which suggests they should not inform their employers whether they plan to strike or not.

In a rare intervention on Wednesday, the AMoRC said this would make it extremely difficult for health service leaders and managers to maintain safe patient care.

During the strike, GP surgeries will open as usual and urgent care and A&E will continue to be available for those who need them, NHS England said.

It urged the public to use 111 online as the first port of call for urgent but not life-threatening issues.

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England national medical director, said: “There is no doubt this industrial action will take a toll on patients and NHS staff, and it is disappointing it is going ahead.

“While it will mean some appointments won’t be able to go ahead as planned, we are doing all we can to limit this, and patients should continue to use NHS services in the usual way.

“The public should dial 999 in an emergency, and otherwise use 111 online, your local pharmacist or GP, and patients should attend NHS appointments unless told otherwise.”

Strikes by resident doctors last June led to 61,989 inpatient and outpatient appointments being rescheduled.

Since the end of 2022, almost 1.5 million appointments have been rescheduled as a result of industrial action.