BMA confirms second junior doctors strike will go ahead

The British Medial Association (BMA) has confirmed that a second strike starting on 10 February will go ahead, after failing to reach agreement with NHS Employers and the Department of Health on the new junior doctors contract.

The industrial action will run from 8am on Wednesday 10 February to 8am on Thursday 11 February, with junior doctors providing only emergency care during this period. This represents a change to original plans for the 48 hour strike to be the first ever full walkout with no care provided.

The strikes will mirror the action taken on 12 January and come after a second strike scheduled to take place on Tuesday 26 January was suspended in hopes of reaching an agreement.

Johann Malawana, BMA junior doctors committee chair, said: “Over the past few weeks, we have welcomed the involvement of Sir David Dalton in talks about a new junior doctor contract, which recognises the need to protect patient care and doctors’ working lives.

“His understanding of the realities of a health service buckling under mounting pressures and commitment to reaching a fair agreement has resulted in good progress on a number of issues. It is, therefore, particularly frustrating that the government is still digging in its heels.

“The government’s entrenched position in refusing to recognise Saturday working as unsocial hours, together with its continued threat to impose a contract so fiercely resisted by junior doctors across England, leaves us with no alternative but to continue with industrial action.”

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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