Health officials in the South West of England have assured the public that the NHS remains “open for business”, despite the beginning of a five-day strike by resident doctors — formerly known as junior doctors.
The industrial action, organized by the British Medical Association (BMA), is the latest in an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions.
While the government recently implemented a 5.4% pay rise for this financial year, following a 22% cumulative increase over the past two years, the BMA insists that doctors’ real-term earnings remain around 20% lower than in 2008.
Speaking on the strike, Dr Trevor Smith, the South West regional medical director for NHS England, apologized for the anticipated disruption to services but reassured the public that emergency care and high-priority operations would continue as planned.
“Very sadly, and I’m sorry to say this, there is an impact on patients,” Dr Smith said.
“We’re working very hard with all of our teams to minimise that impact. One of the important messages that I want to convey is the NHS remains open for business — particularly for emergencies.”
Patients were urged to attend their scheduled appointments unless specifically contacted to cancel. For life-threatening situations, the public should continue to call 999, while NHS 111 remains the go-to for other urgent care needs.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed regret over the strike in a letter to NHS resident doctors, describing it as premature and avoidable.
“Strike action should always be a last resort — not the action you take immediately following a 28.9% pay award from a government that is committed to working with you,” Streeting wrote.
However, the BMA rejected the Health Secretary’s message, describing it as “vague promises on non-pay issues” and accusing government officials of refusing to engage in talks during the strike period.
The BMA continues to demand meaningful negotiations to address what it sees as long-standing erosion of pay and worsening conditions for frontline medical professionals.
