Resident doctors in England set for December strike, BMA announces

Daniel Pye

By Erin Dean and Storm Newton, PA Media

Resident doctors in England will go on a five-day strike in the run-up to Christmas, the British Medical Association has announced.

The latest walkout in the dispute over pay and a shortage of training posts will run from 7am on 17 December until 22 December.

Doctors said they were left with “no choice” as NHS experts warned there could be “intense” pressure on services amid surging flu cases.

Health secretary Wes Streeting criticised the announcement as a "cynical attempt to wreck Christmas".

Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee (RDC), said: “With the government failing 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, 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.”