Junior doctors in the British Medical Association (BMA) on Saturday rejected Steve Barclay’s offer for pay talks, on the basis they cancelled the industrial action, and accused him of “a feeble attempt to stall us”. The 72-hour strike from Monday is expected to have a bigger impact than any action by health unions since December, with junior doctors across England expected to withdraw from A&E departments, cancer care, maternity, and planned care. Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Barclay warned that “this presents a real risk to patient safety, which should pose difficult ethical dilemmas for our hard-working junior doctors”. But the discussions have not involved BMA junior doctors. Nearly 40,000 junior doctors voted to take industrial action in the BMA ballot.

Source: The Times March 11, 2023 22:23 UTC