Resident doctors are “energised” at the prospect of a fresh round of strikes amid an ongoing row over pay.
Doctors in training, formerly known as junior doctors, said their cries have “fallen on deaf ears”.
Ross Nieuwoudt, co-chairman of the British Medical Association’s (BMA’s) resident doctors committee, initially suggested medics were “excited” for potential industrial action but later corrected himself.
Resident doctor members of the BMA are currently voting on staging further walkouts, with the ballot set to close on July 7.
The last bout of strikes caused months of upheaval across the NHS and led to almost 1.5 million appointments being cancelled or rescheduled.
It comes as Professor Philip Banfield, chairman of council at the BMA, said the medics had “lost their faith” in Health Secretary Wes Streeting and expressed confidence that the ballot will succeed.
Speaking at the union’s annual representative meeting in Liverpool, he added: “We’re still in a position where no doctor wants to go on strike. But we’ve also been very clear with Government that they need to lay out how to restore the value of doctors pay.
“It’s been very clear, very upfront – please tell us what that roadmap looks like. But it’s the lack of commitment to restoring pay. That is the stumbling block.”
Resident doctor members of the BMA have taken industrial action 11 times since 2022.
Dr Nieuwoudt had suggested that “people are excited to go again” but corrected this to “energised” when pressed.
He said: “Excited as in energised. Not excited as in looking forward to it.
“It’s something that they want to push for change. Their cries have fallen on deaf ears. There hasn’t been adequate response from the Government in all the previous years.
“This time, Wes Streeting came in, gave us the start of a good deal – or a good deal that could stop the strike action at the time – with the promise that there would be a genuine pathway towards restoring our pay and unfortunately, that hasn’t happened.”
Dr Melissa Ryan, co-chairwoman of the BMA resident doctors committee, added: “I think there’s many things in our working conditions and our pay that can be improved.
“And I think excited to go again is the membership being excited that the BMA is recognising what it is and taking action on it.”
Dr Ryan and Dr Nieuwoudt urged Mr Streeting to work with the BMA to avoid strikes.
“What I would really like to see from Wes Streeting is the same energy that he came into the Government with last year, which is where he closed them (strikes) off in a matter of weeks,” Dr Nieuwoudt added.
“It’s completely within his gift to do that.”
Resident doctor members of the BMA voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years last September.
The Government also committed to working with the union to streamline how resident doctors report any additional hours they work.
However, Prof Banfield said there has been a “loss of trust” among resident doctors for Mr Streeting, claiming there were problems ironing out some details around “exception reporting”, which is how resident doctors flag when their work varies from their agreed schedule.
“It was a really easy and straightforward thing to sort out that didn’t then get sorted out until, actually, the Secretary of State intervened personally with it, because they just couldn’t get agreement with the employers and the NHS about how that should materialise,” he added.
“So the residents lost their faith. You know, if you’re going to talk to us, not just about headline pay, but about the stuff that is also important about lives, like how we get shoved around the country on rotations, how can we believe you in that?
“You’ve struggled to deliver something that was agreed, how are we to have faith in you with the stuff that is yet to be talked about?
“And I think rebuilding that faith and trust is one of those things that the Secretary of State can do, and will try to do, I’m sure.”
Dr Nieuwoudt said he does not think it is “appropriate” for “doctors to be subsidising the NHS on their lost wages”.
He said that “waiting lists are still massive” with patients suffering as a result, adding: “What we’d like to do is work with the Government to make sure that those things are coming down.
“But unfortunately, right now, we’re focused on simply regaining what we’ve lost.”
Earlier this month, the BMA announced consultants and specialist, associate specialist, and specialty (SAS) doctors in England would take part in an indicative ballot in an escalation of their row over pay.
Speaking of the prospect of future walkouts, Dr Helen Neary, co-chairwoman of the BMA consultants committee, said strike action “is not something that consultants want to be doing”.
“But I am sure that if, if there is no talks with the Secretary of State, and if we are unable to take progress forwards with meaningful negotiations to create a path towards pay restoration, then I have no doubt that at that point, then our membership will vote with us and for industrial action,” she added.
Dr Shanu Datta, co-chairman of the consultants committee, said that senior doctors are not “hardwired into striking”.
“Certainly, when I was on the picket lines last year, it was a pinch me moment,” he added.
“People said (striking) couldn’t be done and we would never do it. That genie is out of the bottle. It won’t go back in.”
Dr Datta also said consultants are “crucial” in the delivery of the Government’s upcoming 10 year plan.
“If we’re haemorrhaging consultants, then the 10 year plan will definitely be in doubt,” he said.
Dr Neary also warned that strikes by senior doctors would “certainly have an impact” on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to get waiting times down to 18 weeks.
“It would certainly make reducing those waiting lists much more challenging,” she said.
