The BMA protested outside Tory Conference today, the media's been acting like it didn't happen at all. Society of Radiographers were on strike too, junior and senior doctors will strike tomorrow as well. This is for strikes in England, Westminster has ignored letters from both the BMA and SoR and refuses to engage so far.
you'll be unsurprised to know that while the #BMA is willing to go to ACAS for mediated pay talks, #SteveBarclay (through 'friends') as said there's an offer on the table, take it or leave it...
One can only conclude that the #Health Secretary thinks by paying hard ball he can 'break' the #Doctors... even if in the short-term he may be proved right, in the longer term, this intransigence will have a major impact on Doctors' morale & recruitment.
As this weekend's #doctors#strike enters is 2nd day, you will be unsurprised that the issue is essentially what counts as a 'credible offer' on pay & conditions; #RishiSunak & #SteveBarclay think what they have offered is 'credible', the #BMA (and doctors) don't agree.
If I'm asked to choose between the #Tories & #healthcare professionals' view of what is 'credible' in the #NHS, you'll forgive me if I dismiss the Tory position, based on their engineering of the #NHS crisis in the first place!
Doctors Strike in England today, consultants etc. If people knew how much the UK govt policies were geared around only financial services peeps being rewarded for their work, they'd spew.
The British Medical Association (#BMA) found one in five doctors with #longCOVID had been forced to stop work or significantly cut back on their hours.”
The #BMA is raising the stakes; now threatening that all doctors (from consultants & specialists to 'junior' doctors) will be taking #strike action before the next #election if the Govt. do not meet their demands for pay to increased to make up for its historic real terms decline.
Given that #SteveBarclay for now continues to want to play 'hardball' we are heading towards a long(er) period of disruption.
As always remember this all stems from #Tories defunding of the NHS;