GMC chief executive Nick Dickson warned about the impact on patients.
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“Combine winter pressures with an already stretched NHS, alongside a series of extended strike action and it will nearly certainly result in a NHS crisis”.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this causes, however, patient safety is always our utmost priority”.
Chairman Dr Mark Porter told the Press Association: “The council is absolutely behind, as is the rest of the BMA, absolutely behind the decision that has been taken”.
Why are junior doctors going on strike again?
“And I will not engage with you in talking about the long and hard debates that we had inside council over what the best thing to do was”. He denied there had been “block-voting” by consultants and Global Positioning System against the strike but did not deny that representatives had been opposed.
The BMA confirmed yesterday another five days’ worth of strikes this month, between September 12 and September 16 after Hunt confirmed he would continue to impose the contracts.
Mr Hunt said 100,000 operations across the country might have to be cancelled and one million appointments postponed.
In a sign that support for junior doctors is wavering The Patients Association said it was “gravely troubled” at the “catastrophic impact” the industrial action will have on patients and their families.
He said that the contract agreed earlier this summer had “represented a sensible compromise” and that both sides would have to compromise to resolve the issue without further strikes.
“It has been well reported that demand in our hospitals has been high over the last few weeks and we are aware of the additional challenges this period of industrial action will present, so I would ask people to ensure they are prepared for any disruption”.
McCourt insisted the BMA had since made repeated attempts to work with the government.
The government has said that a new contract is needed to deliver more seven-day services.
Despite this, the government is refusing to acknowledge junior doctors’ concerns and is continuing with plans to impose the contract in October. “It is too important to be rushed to meet a political deadline”, Dr McCourt said.
“I have to say it beggars belief that we can be accused of playing politics in this when the stated reason of the Government proceeding is that it was in their party manifesto”. I was previously uncomfortable about the imposition of the contract on junior doctors, but now believe there is little alternative.
A Sussex MEP has pledged his support for a five-day junior doctors’ strike planned for later this month.
He added: “We have already had a 48 hour version but this is more hard”.
In a series of televised interviews yesterday, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the walkout “devastating” and the “worst in NHS history”.
“The crisis in the NHS is deepening, with closures of hospitals and key departments across the country while almost all waiting times are rising”.
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Speaking of which, recent NHS leaks show “workforce overload” is a major internal concern about Hunt’s promised “truly seven-day NHS” without extra funding or staff.
