Senior NHS doctors begin second strike day across East Anglia as pay row shows no sign of ending
The government says it's made a final pay offer
Last updated 25th Aug 2023
A walkout by senior NHS doctors in Norfolk and Suffolk continues today as the Government shows no sign of backing down in the bitter row over pay.
The strike by British Medical Association consultants across the country began at 7am on Thursday, with NHS chiefs warning patients would face "severe delays" as a result.
Consultants will be operating on a "Christmas day cover" basis - meaning emergency care will still be provided - until 7am on Saturday.
There are likely more strikes coming soon too - senior doctors with the BMA have already threatened to strike again for two days from September 19 and announced strikes for October 2, 3 and 4 - during the Tory party conference - if the Government continues to refuse talks.
Despite this, ministers have insisted that negotiations on pay are over after consultants were offered a 6% rise.
The BMA condemned the increase as "insulting", claiming consultants have experienced a "35% pay erosion" over the last 14 years.
The union is also calling for reform of the medics' pay review body.
"We are persistently devalued"
Vishal Sharma, chairman of the BMA consultants committee, said: "We would much rather be inside the hospital seeing our patients.
"But we cannot sit by and watch passively as we are persistently devalued, undermined and forced to watch colleagues leave - much to the detriment of the NHS and patients."
What does the government say?
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he was "concerned and disappointed" that the BMA has gone ahead with the industrial action "which will continue to affect patients and hamper efforts to cut NHS waiting lists".
He added: This pay award is final and I urge the BMA to call an end to strikes."
What do NHS bosses say?
NHS Providers chief executive Julian Hartley said the strike, leading into a bank holiday weekend, was occurring when many staff were on leave and it was becoming "harder and more expensive" to put in place contingency plans to cope with repeated waves of industrial action in the health service.
He said it was "vital that talks between Government and unions resume".
People should continue to use 999 for life-threatening emergencies and NHS 111 for other health concerns, officials said. GP surgeries and pharmacies are largely unaffected.