Summary

  • Junior doctors across England are striking for four days, demanding a 35% pay rise and better patient safety

  • The government says there will be no pay talks with the BMA union unless it abandons its 35% starting position

  • Health Secretary Steve Barclay says such a pay rise is unreasonable and the government needs to focus on getting inflation down

  • The BMA union says it wants "pay restoration" because junior doctors have had 15 years of below-inflation wage rises

  • The strike will cause "unparalleled disruption" which will take weeks to recover from, NHS England's medical director Prof Stephen Powis has warned

  • More than a quarter of a million appointments and operations could be cancelled, and some hospitals say up to half of planned treatment is affected

Live Reporting

Edited by Dulcie Lee

  1. What happened during last month’s strike?

    Last month, junior doctors went on strike for three days, from 13 to 15 March. More than 175,000 patient appointments and procedures had to be postponed, according to official NHS England figures.

    Some of the delayed appointments and procedures included hip and knee operations, as well routine checks for patients with conditions such as diabetes and even cancer.

    The latest action comes as the NHS tries to grapple with a backlog made worse by Covid. There are still 7.2 million people on waiting lists for treatment in England.

    Graphic of waiting times.

    Tens of thousands of medics took part in last month’s 72-hour strike. It was the most disruptive NHS strike yet, and NHS bosses have voiced their concerns over the risk to patients during the latest walkouts.

    The British Medical Association (BMA) union has said it will meet trade union requirements for life-and-limb cover to be provided, by considering pulling junior doctors off the picket line if individual hospitals report that lives are in immediate danger during the four-day strike.

  2. Why are these strikes taking place?

    Junior doctors on strike in March (file pic)PA Media

    Junior doctors were previously on strike in March

    The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents junior doctors, has been calling for a 35% pay rise to make up for what it argues are 15 years of below-inflation wage increases. The government has said that figure is unaffordable.

    Government sources say the offer was the same one that got the health unions representing other staff such as nurses, physios and ambulance workers around the table.

    Those talks have centred on whether the government will increase its 3.5% pay rise offer for next year, while making a bonus payment to top up 2022-23 pay.

    The Department of Health and Social Care has said it is urging the BMA to “come to the table” with a “realistic” approach, which “balances fairly rewarding junior doctors for their hard work with meeting the Government's ambition to halve inflation”.

    The BMA says it wants to see a “credible offer” from Health Secretary Steve Barclay that they say would show he is “serious about addressing doctors losing more than 26% of their pay in real terms” and form the basis of negotiation. The union has not indicated what a “credible” offer would look like.

    Junior doctors who are members of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association union are also going on strike. This union, which represents about 600 junior doctors, accuses the government of refusing to drop pre-conditions for talks to resolve the dispute.

  3. Ball in health secretary’s court, BMA insists

    On Friday, the British Medical Association (BMA) union expressed “frustration” at the government’s approach to pay talks, saying Health Secretary Steve Barclay was refusing to meet.

    The BMA said it had made a "serious and substantial offer to the minister”, which meant it was “within his gift” to halt strike action. “We very much expect that an offer will be a starting point in the discussions, rather than the final deal we agree,” it added.

    “But until the minister's office makes that offer and agrees to meet with us, we cannot consider stopping the strike action and starting negotiations.” The BMA continued: "The ball is now very much in the secretary of state's court.”

    A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson did not respond to suggestions Barclay was refusing to meet the union. They said the department had urged the BMA to find a“realistic approach” as it said it had done with other health unions.

    "We are working with NHS England to put in place contingency plans to protect patient safety,” the spokesperson added. “The NHS will prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care and trauma.”

  5. Four-day walkout to begin shortly

    Rob Corp
    Live reporter

    Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the junior doctors strike across England, which begins at 07:00 BST this morning and will last for four days.

    This is the second time juniors doctors have gone on strike in less than a month, after the government and the British Medical Association(BMA)union failed to reach an agreement on pay.

    The BMA is pushing for a 35% pay rise to make up for 15 years of below-inflation wage rises, but the government says this is unrealistic.

    When junior doctors last went on strike from 13-15 March, some 175,000 outpatient appointments and operations had to be rescheduled.

    Hospital bosses warned in advance that they could not guarantee patient safety during this latest industrial action.

    With my colleagues Andre Rhoden-Paul and Emily McGarvey, we’ll be bringing you updates throughout the day. Stay with us.