The tenth walkout since March 2023 began at 7 am today Saturday 24 February.
The strike action is planned to continue until 11:59 pm on Wednesday 28 February.
The junior doctors are asking for a 35% pay rise, which they say is needed to restore it to 2008 levels. The government, though, says in a cost of living crisis that’s unaffordable.
Dr Tal Ellenbogen, BMA East Midlands said:
‘We want the government to meet us and give us a credible offer up now. These strikes can still be averted. If the government met us today, tomorrow, at any point, we want to meet them and if they make a credible offer, we’ll call off these strikes.’
Consultants will be covering for striking junior colleagues throughout the latest action.
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said:
“I want to see doctors treating patients, not standing on picket lines. In negotiations with the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, we made it clear we were prepared to go further than the pay increase of up to 10.3% that they have already received. They refused to put our offer to their members.
“More than 1.3 million appointments and operations have already been cancelled or rescheduled since industrial action began – five days of further action will compound this.
“The NHS has robust contingency plans in place, and people must continue to come forward for treatment. But no one should underestimate the impact these strikes have on our NHS. So again, I urge the BMA Junior Doctors Committee to call off their strikes and show they are prepared to be reasonable so that we can come back to the negotiating table to find a fair way forward.”
