Nick Triggle<\/span>Health correspondent<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n The British Medical Association has announced a fresh round of strikes in England in the long-running pay dispute.<\/p>\n Resident doctors, the new name for junior doctors, will stage a five-day walkout from 17 December.<\/p>\n This will be the 14th strike by the doctors’ union since March 2023 and is expected to cause significant disruption, particularly in hospitals.<\/p>\n NHS bosses said it was an “inflammatory act” by the BMA as the lead up to Christmas was always challenging.<\/p>\n But the union said it had been left with no choice because it had not received a credible offer from the government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Resident doctors represent nearly half the medical workforce and range from doctors fresh out of university through to those with up to a decade of experience.<\/p>\n They will walk out of both emergency and routine care, with senior doctors brought in to provide cover.<\/p>\n Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, said: “This is an inflammatory act by the BMA.<\/p>\n “Everyone knows in the run-up to Christmas we need all hands on deck.<\/p>\n “It’s really important to be able to discharge as many patients as possible so that where appropriate they can be at home with their loved ones.<\/p>\n “It’s totally unfair to patients and to other staff working for the NHS.<\/p>\n “Both sides need to get back round the table to break the logjam.”<\/p>\n The walkout follows a five-day strike held last month and that came after talks broke down between the government and union.<\/p>\n The government had offered doctors a deal which involved creating more training posts, improving working conditions and helping them with out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees.<\/p>\n But the BMA turned that down, saying any deal needed to involve an increase in pay.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Health Secretary Wes Streeting has maintained he would not negotiate on pay after resident doctors had received pay rises totalling nearly 30% in the past three years.<\/p>\n But the union argues that, despite the pay rises, resident doctors’ pay is still a fifth lower than it was in 2008, once inflation is taken into account.<\/p>\n Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said as the government had failed to come forward with a credible plan the union had been left with no choice.<\/p>\n But he added: “These [strikes] do not need to go ahead. Gradually raising pay over a few years and some common-sense fixes to the job security of our doctors are well within the reach of this government.”<\/p>\n Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The BMA have clearly chosen to strike when it will cause maximum disruption, causing untold anxiety. <\/p>\n \u201cPatients and NHS staff deserve better than this cynical attempt to wreck Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n The BMA’s mandate for strike action ends in early January, but it has announced it will be holding another ballot of members.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"EPA](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/b3bb\/live\/a20ea0c0-cedc-11f0-86df-93be622234b6.jpg.webp\")
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