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TORY Health Secretary Steve Barclay hit out against the NHS’s junior doctors again yesterday ahead of their five-day strike later this month, and on the eve of this week’s crucial British Medical Association (BMA) Conference in Liverpool.
Over 50,000 NHS junior doctors are to strike for five days from Thursday 13th to Tuesday 18th July, while over 20,000 NHS consultants are striking for two days on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st July.
At this week’s Annual Representative Conference (ARM) representatives of the 173,000-strong BMA are debating and voting on policies to defend the NHS and defeat the Tory attacks.
Appearing on breakfast TV yesterday morning Barclay resumed his usual attacks on junior doctors, accusing them of ‘walking away’ from talks.
Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chair of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, dismissed Barclay’s criticism, saying: ‘We have always been willing to continue talking.
‘It was the government who cancelled our remaining meetings after we called for strike action, but we have made it clear that we will call strikes off if Sunak makes a credible offer.
‘A 5% offer, when inflation is in double digits is yet another real terms pay cut, and would only worsen the already 26% real terms pay cut we’ve endured prior to that.’
Also responding to the Health Secretary’s comments, Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite said: ‘Steve Barclay just doesn’t get it. Junior doctors up and down the country have had a real terms pay cut of around 26 per cent since 2008/9.
‘There are more than 110,000 vacancies in the NHS workforce right now – that’s one in 10 posts unfilled.
‘But instead of dealing with those fundamental issues which are causing already trained NHS doctors to quit and move abroad to places where they have a chance of being properly paid and appreciated, Barclay is trying to take us on a trip to la la land.
‘Rather than looking at retention, the Tories are now shaking a magic money tree to pay for an alleged expansion in training places for NHS staff – but Barclay can’t even say where the money is coming from for year one let alone year-15 of this plan.
‘He’s just kicking the can down the road. Junior doctors have had enough.’
Responding to last week’s publication of the Tory government’s NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, Dr Latifa Patel, BMA representative body chair and workforce lead, said: ‘While the plan acknowledges the need for expansion in foundation and specialty training placements and infrastructure commensurate with the growth in undergraduate medical training, we don’t yet have a credible path to get there.
‘Approaches such as medical apprenticeships and accelerated degrees are also untested, so we have concerns about their role in addressing the crisis.
‘We should not be under any illusion that a small number of physician associates will make up for the huge shortages of doctors we currently have.’
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