Junior doctors at Wigan's hospitals to join five-day strike in ongoing pay dispute

Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) are taking further strike action in their ongoing dispute with the Government over pay.

They will walk out at 7am on Saturday, February 24 and will return to work at 11.59pm on Wednesday, February 28.

It will be the 10th strike by junior doctors since March 2023 and is expected to cause “significant” disruption to hospitals across the country, so NHS bosses are now preparing for the action.

Mark Fisher, chief executive of NHS Greater Manchester, said: “We anticipate and are planning for the next period of industrial action to have significant impact on services provided across all areas of the NHS and wider care services. We are again working hard with our partners to make sure our critical and emergency services are maintained, as well as ensuring that patients who have waited the longest for planned care and cancer surgery are prioritised.

“Patients should continue to attend appointments, including at GP practices, as planned unless contacted to reschedule. Nobody should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strike and key services will continue to operate. NHS 111 will be there to help people with all non-emergency healthcare needs and advice on where to get care from.”

Junior doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training, who have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty.

The BMA wrote to NHS Employers leaders earlier this month to ask them to agree to a move which may avert the strike.

BMA chairman of council Prof Philip Banfield asked Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, to agree to extend the current strike mandate for four weeks to allow for negotiations to continue in that time.

He wrote: “In return for this agreement the BMA Junior Doctors Committee is prepared to cancel the planned strike action for 24th to 28th February, providing space for the government to negotiate with us during the next two weeks.”

If NHS Employers agrees to the request, it will afford the Health Secretary and Government officials more time to talk and for the Government to present an offer to junior doctors in England.