‘This strike will harm patients’: Top NHS official’s stark warning as BMA doctors set for five-day walkout
Fears for patient safety as resident doctors ready for strike
- Resident doctors from the British Medical Association are due to begin a five-day walkout on Friday in a dispute over pay, marking their 12th strike since March 2023.
- Professor Tim Briggs, NHS England national director, warned that the industrial action will harm patients, stressing doctors' primary duty to patient care.
- While the BMA cites pay as the reason, Professor Briggs suggested resident doctors' concerns are more focused on non-pay factors such as rotas, training bottlenecks, and funding for courses.
- NHS England plans to cover emergency services and some elective care, but the BMA argues this could put patients at risk as senior doctors cannot cover both emergency and routine demands.
- NHS England has advised the public to use 111 online for non-emergencies during the strike.