NHS boss slams ‘totally reckless’ doctors striking for 5 days before Christmas

The chief executive of NHS England has slammed “totally reckless” medics after they announced plans to walk out again this winter. Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, will go on strike for five consecutive days in the run-up to Christmas, the British Medical Association (BMA) said. Sir Jim Mackey, who took over the top job at the health service in April, said industrial action would hit the NHS at the “most dangerous time” when it will be dealing with an influx of patients suffering from winter viruses and battling to keep waiting times down over winter.

He said: “This is totally reckless behaviour from the BMA Committee. The timing of the latest industrial action is clearly designed to maximise disruption of patient care, coming just as flu cases are surging and we enter the most dangerous time of year for hospitals.

“The NHS has done everything in the last two rounds of BMA Industrial Action to minimise disruption, but the BMA resident doctors committee absolutely know it will take a monumental effort to keep patients safe this time, which makes this a shameful decision to have taken.”

The walkout will take place from 7am on December 17 until December 22.

Last month’s industrial action was the 13th strike since March 2023, while the summer walkout was estimated to have cost the health service £300 million.

Sir Jim has taken a tougher approach to strike action than his predecessor, instructing NHS trusts to keep planned procedures going unless cancellations are absolutely necessary for safety.

He said the strike would also deprive “hard-working NHS colleagues — who have worked so hard this year on NHS recovery — of Christmas with their families, with many now likely to be called in on their well-earned days off”.

Sir Jim added: “The NHS, its staff and patients simply cannot go on with a situation where services are beholden to calculated attacks like this.”

Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said the Government had failed to “put forward a credible plan to fix the jobs crisis for resident doctors at the same time as pushing a real terms pay cut for them”.

He added: “We have no choice but to announce more strike dates. However, these 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.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The BMA have clearly chosen to strike when it will cause maximum disruption, causing untold anxiety. Patients and NHS staff deserve better than this cynical attempt to wreck Christmas.

“After a 28.9% pay rise, the Government offered to create more jobs and put money back in resident doctors’ pockets. The BMA rejected it out of hand, refused to put the offer to its members, blocking a better deal for doctors.

“Now, without a single conversation with the Government, they’re threatening more strikes at the busiest time of the year.

“It’s time for resident doctors to stand up to the BMA and say that enough is enough. These strikes are in no one’s interest and there is no moral justification for them. Resident doctors should ignore the BMA’s attempts to turn them into the Grinch who stole Christmas.”