The six-day strike by medics is entering its final days.
The Health Secretary has “not given up hope” that he will be able to strike a deal with resident doctors, but reiterated that the Government has gone as far as it can in terms of an offer.
Wes Streeting said medics have been the “standout winners” of the Labour Government, but warned they will have to “compromise” to get the NHS through its challenges.
Resident doctors in England remain on strike into the weekend and will return to work at 6.59am on Monday.
Before the walkout, the British Medical Association (BMA) rejected an offer from the Government which included a 4.9% increase in average basic pay.
Mr Streeting told the Press Association the union “walked away” from a good deal.
He said: “They have got to recognise that given the challenges we face in the NHS, the challenges we face right across our public services, how hard-pressed taxpayers are in their pockets at the moment, and how uncertain the world is with all of the instability and uncertainty that we see, they have got to accept there is only so much this Government can do in such a short space of time.
“They have been the standout winners in less than two years of a Labour Government.
“There’s got to be a bit of give and take here. Resident doctors have had a good deal, but they’re not the only NHS staff.
“The NHS is the most important public service for this Labour Government, but it’s not the only public service.
“So, in order to get the country through these challenges, we are going to have to compromise.
“The Government has shown compromise, that offer, that deal’s on the table. I need resident doctors, the BMA, to come back next week and accept that compromise.”
Mr Streeting said he has “not given up hope” of striking a deal and ending the long-running dispute.
The walkout is the 15th round of industrial action by resident doctors in England since 2023 and is expected to cost the NHS £300 million.
Collectively, the cost of strikes is estimated to have topped £3 billion.
However, Mr Streeting told the PA the NHS is “coping” with the disruption ahead of the weekend.
“We’re doing everything we can to maintain planned care, we’re keeping urgent and emergency services there for people, and people are coming forward in the way that we want them to, so that’s all encouraging,” he said.
“But I’m not going to pretend that this hasn’t come with significant disruption and enormous costs.
“This is going to end up being £300 million that could have been put in doctors’ pockets, and in other areas of patient care, and support other staff in the NHS.
“I have not given up hope that we will be able to get a deal with resident doctors. We have gone, as a government, as far as we can.”
