Thousands of hospital appointments have been postponed despite a planned four-day strike by resident doctors in England being called off at the eleventh hour — after the government tabled a new offer late on Saturday.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said the government had "made a new offer" which would be put to its members for a vote. The walkout had been due to run from 07:00 BST on Monday 15 June until 06:59 on Friday 19 June, which would have been the 16th in the long-running dispute over pay.
“Resident doctors call off strike after last-minute government offer; thousands of appointments already postponed.”
Health Secretary James Murray described the development as "a positive and welcome development - especially for patients" and a "chance to draw a line under the damaging disputes of recent years". He added: "The country simply cannot afford to increase the pay offer for this year. I am pleased that the BMA have recognised this, which has allowed us to make progress in other areas, such as training places and working conditions."
Government sources said there was no extra money for this year, but the offer proposed faster increases next year in pay scales, along with 4,500 extra training places for newly qualified doctors and coverage of doctors' exam fees.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said: "We have always been clear that no strikes needed to go ahead if we received an offer appropriate to put to our members. This should not have been left to the last moment, but we hold up our end of the bargain when the government shifts its position."
The two sides had been in talks for days, including on Saturday, just hours before the strike was called off. But it came too late to avoid some patient disruption: while NHS England said 95% of operations and appointments were due to go ahead, thousands have been postponed. Reinstating them on the original timetable will be a tough task for hospitals.
Resident doctors, previously known as junior doctors, have received pay rises worth 33% over the past four years, including a 3.5% increase this year. That means starting salaries are now just over £40,000, with the most senior resident doctors getting £76,500 in basic pay. They can earn thousands more for working unsociable hours or additional shifts. However, the BMA argues they are still being paid a fifth less than they were in 2008 once inflation is taken into account.
Sir Ciarán Devane, chief executive of the NHS Alliance, called the strike's suspension a "vital chance to reset the conversation" and urged both sides to strike a "fair, sustainable agreement". The question now is whether BMA members will accept the offer — or whether the threat of further disruption will return.