Streeting Denies Changing Pay Deal For Resident Doctors

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told nan BBC nan authorities "categorically" did not alteration its woody pinch resident doctors to extremity ongoing business action complete salary and jobs.

He besides said he wanted to meet nan "organ grinders" from nan British Medical Association (BMA) resident doctors' committee for further negotiations - but claimed they had "point blank refused".

Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of nan committee, said successful consequence that 1 aliases two-year settlements were discussed successful negotiations and "at nan very past minute" nan authorities insisted "a three-year woody was nan only option, pinch reduced investment".

The existent six-day walkout successful England is group to extremity astatine 06:59 connected Monday.

In a connection to nan BBC, Fletcher besides said nan BMA resident doctors' committee remained "open and consenting to meet pinch nan wellness secretary".

He added that passim this dispute, nan BMA has "negotiated successful bully religion pinch a genuine desire to scope a resolution".

Streeting told nan BBC's Sunday pinch Laura Kuenssberg programme that resident doctors "had a 28.9% salary emergence wrong nan first weeks of this Labour government".

"There's a woody connected nan array that would person fixed them an mean 4.9% much for this year, 7.1% for immoderate of nan lowest-paid doctors."

Despite receiving salary rises worthy 33% complete nan past 4 years, nan BMA argues that doctors are still being paid a 5th little than they were successful 2008 erstwhile ostentation is taken into account.

Further addressing nan union's accusation that nan woody had been changed astatine nan past minute, Streeting told Victoria Derbyshire, opinionated successful for Kuenssberg, this would not beryllium successful his "interest aliases nan government's".

The wellness caput said either nan BMA "didn't publication nan detail" of nan woody aliases "faced pinch that tremendous committee" it was "more convenient to blasted nan government".

He besides said: "We've gone arsenic acold arsenic we can, I'm ne'er going to unopen nan doorway to nan BMA, I'm not pretending I've solved each of their problems successful little than 2 years.

"The BMA request to extremity pretending that I can, location has to beryllium immoderate springiness and take."

The question and reply came hours aft nan wellness caput published a missive connected X that he had sent to nan doctors' union, successful which he expressed "disappointment and frustration" astir nan latest walkout.

He wrote that "most of nan woody remains connected nan table", but he said nan "financial and operational effect of [the BMA's] latest strikes has made it intolerable for america to bring guardant 1,000 of nan 4,500 other training places to this year".