Doctors rejected Wes Streeting‘s last-ditch offer of meal deals and opted to strike instead.
Resident doctors, previously known as junior doctors, refused the Health Secretary’s offer of cheaper lunches and subsidised medical equipment and instead voted for a five-day walkout.
Mr Streeting warned that he couldn’t budge on pay, but instead proposed to cut the costs of exams and improve financial support, The Sun revealed.
In his letter on Monday the Labour MP said he wanted to resolve the disputes without strikes and felt progress had already been made but talks broke down on Tuesday.
The British Medical Association are demanding a 29 per cent pay increase instead of the 5.4 per cent initially offered.
The Health Secretary accused the British Medical Association of showing ‘complete disdain for patients’ and described their walkout as ‘unjustified’ earlier this week.
Health leaders were also quick to round on the union, warning their ‘crushing’ and ‘misjudged’ action would cause widespread disruption and harm.
Up to 50,000 resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – are set to strike from 7am on Friday in pursuit of a 29 per cent pay rise.
Resident doctors, previously known as junior doctors, refused the Health Secretary’s offer of cheaper lunches and subsidised medical equipment and instead voted for a five-day walkout
Wes Streeting’s (pictured) last-ditch offer to doctors included cheaper lunches and subsidised medical equipment
They have already received above inflation pay rises for the past three years, worth an extra 28.9 per cent in total, following previous strikes.
This includes an inflation-busting rise this year of 5.4 per cent, which is the most generous in the public sector.
Despite this the BMA said Mr Streeting’s offer ‘did not go far enough to warrant calling off strikes’ and lacked any ‘substantive proposal on both pay and non-pay elements’.
Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, co-chairs of the BMA’s RDC, said: ‘Disappointingly, what we saw would not have been significant enough to change the day-to-day financial situation for our members.
‘The non-pay aspects of last year’s pay deal have still not been delivered, which has shaken the confidence of our members that any further non-pay elements would be honoured.’
Mr Streeting said: ‘After a 28.9 per cent pay hike in the last three years and the highest pay rise in the public sector two years in a row, strike action is completely unjustified, completely unprecedented in the history of British trade unionism and shows a complete disdain for patients and the wider recovery of the NHS.’
The announcement came after health bosses warned striking doctors will cause patients ‘undoubted harm’ and a new poll revealed the majority of the public now oppose walkouts.
The latest YouGov poll reveals more than half (52 per cent) of people in the UK either ‘somewhat oppose’ (20 per cent) or ‘strongly oppose’ (32 per cent) the idea of resident doctors going on strike over pay.
The British Medical Association are demanding a 29 per cent pay increase instead of the 5.4 per cent initially offered
Meanwhile, only a third (34 per cent) of the 4,954 adults surveyed either ‘somewhat support’ (23 per cent) or ‘strongly support’ (11 per cent) doctor strikes.
YouGov said the proportion supporting the strike over pay has dropped five points since it last asked the question in May.
Then, 48 per cent opposed resident doctors striking, while 39 per cent supported them taking action.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said of the BMA’s announcement: ‘This decision is a crushing blow for patients and for the NHS.
‘We urge resident doctors to help trusts minimise the harm by notifying them of their plans for strike days.
‘For example we must ensure that there are enough staff for all the cancer, transplant and maternity care that cannot and must not be delayed.
‘Another huge worry is the cost.
‘It is vital that consultants providing cover take NHS rates of pay rather than insisting on inflated BMA rates that are simply unaffordable.
‘We say to the BMA “think again” and pull back from this hugely damaging decision.’
