Junior doctors ‘walked away before final offer’ – Health Secretary

Victoria Atkins said that she was ‘extremely disappointed’ that doctors walked away from talks while negotiations were ‘live’.

The Health Secretary has expressed her “extreme disappointment” that junior doctors walked away from talks and said that a final offer had not been put before the British Medical Association (BMA) before more strikes were announced.

Victoria Atkins warned that the forthcoming strike by junior doctors in England comes at a “most challenging time” for the health service as she called on NHS staff to “explain the consequences” of the strikes to junior doctors.

Talks between the government and junior doctors from the BMA had been ongoing for five weeks before the union announced further strikes dates.

The BMA said earlier this month that a credible offer had not been put before junior doctors before a pre-arranged deadline.

It announced that junior doctors would walk out for three days in December – at 7am on December 20 to 7am on December 23 – and for six days from January 3 – the longest strike in NHS history.

Health commentators expressed dismay at the news, highlighting that the strikes will take place during one of the busiest periods for the NHS.

When the talks broke down, the BMA said junior doctors had been offered a 3% rise on top of the average 8.8% increase they were given in the summer.

The union said the cash would be split unevenly across different doctor grades and would “still amount to pay cuts for many doctors”.

But Victoria Atkins said that the discussions were still live when the BMA called the strikes and the Government had not yet made a final offer.

Asked about the walkouts at her first appearance before the Health and Social Care Committee as Health Secretary, Ms Atkins said: “It has been, as far as I’m concerned, a constructive relationship.

“I am extremely disappointed that they have taken the decision to walk away from the discussions we were having – which were live and we had not in any way made a final offer or anything of that nature.

“And so it is disappointing, but as I’ve said since they announced their decision, should they call off the strike action I will get right back around the table with them.

“And I think as we approach next week’s strikes – but also the very, very significant strikes in January – sadly we will begin to see some of the impact that will have on patients, particularly over this period of time, which as everybody knows, is probably the most challenging time for the NHS.”

She added: “I’m taking the approach that it cannot just be me as the Secretary of State having this discussion in public with the junior doctors’ committee.

“We need professionals, clinicians, working in the system to speak whether privately or publicly with their junior doctor colleagues to explain the consequences of this.

“NHS England are beginning to set out some of the concerns they have and we will have to play it day by day to see the impact it is having at this time of year.

“I think everybody realises, particularly those strikes in January after the Christmas period, that (it) will be a very, very difficult time for the NHS even with a full contingent of workforce as we know seasonal factors such as flu and Covid-19 and so on will continue to take their toll on us all.

“But it is particularly worrying … I think NHS England is keen to say well look, although there is a break in the middle, the reality is, of course, the Christmas period being what it is, the impact should be seen as it will continue to have a tail after the three days next week into the following period before the January strikes start. It’s deeply, deeply concerning.”

Ms Atkins said she wanted to “immediately establish constructive relationships with everyone who works in NHS and social care” when she was put in post in November.

She added that she was “really pleased to reach a fair and reasonable agreement” with consultants in England.

Consultant doctors from the BMA reached a deal with the Government which will see consultants earn more money from January 2024, although it will not be paid until April 2024.

England’s top hospital doctors are now voting on the deal, which would see them get a pay rise of between 6% and 19.6%.