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Rishi Sunak’s “ego” is causing the doctor’s strikes, a union boss has claimed, as “unprecedented” industrial action is slated for this week.<\/p>\n
Consultants in England will walk out for 48 hours from Tuesday, and will be joined by their junior colleagues on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Junior doctors will then continue their strike on Thursday and Friday.<\/p>\n
Both consultants and junior doctors will then strike together on October 2, 3 and 4, coinciding with the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the strike action, NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis warned the health service had “never seen this kind of industrial action in its history”.<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> Families of sick children must be heard, says review<\/strong><\/p>\n He added: “This week\u2019s first ever joint action means almost all planned care will come to a stop and hundreds of thousands of appointments will be postponed, which is incredibly difficult for patients and their families, and poses an enormous challenge for colleagues across the NHS.”<\/p>\n Dr Rob Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, who chair the British Medical Association\u2019s junior doctors\u2019 committee, said that they held Mr Sunak responsible for strikes.<\/p>\n They accused him of wasting \u00a31billion – the estimated cost of strike cover.<\/p>\n The union bosses added he had failed to negotiate “in good faith from the start”<\/p>\n Dr Trivedi said: “It\u2019s terrible for patients to have their clinic appointments or surgeries or any other elective activity cancelled… It\u2019s only happening because Mr Sunak is feeding into his ego.”<\/p>\n The Government has set out a pay rise worth an average of 8.8 percent for junior doctors and 6 percent for consultants, but insisted there will be no further talks on pay.<\/p>\n But the BMA insists on a 35 percent pay rise for juniors, which would bring pay back to 2008 levels.<\/p>\n They said the collapse in negotiations had to led to a “massive deficit in trust” between ministers and doctors.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Dr Laurenson said: “The Government has dug themselves a hole, and they have thrown away all of their trust. They need to come up with concrete proposals.”<\/p>\n They suggested the strikes could continue throughout a general election campaign – implying it would take an entirely new Government to reach an agreement over the dispute.<\/p>\n In Scotland the BMA and Government have agreed a deal comprising a 12.5 percent pay increase for junior doctors in 2023-24 and a promise of annual pay negotiations for the next three financial years.<\/p>\n Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England\u2019s medical director, said: “This week\u2019s first ever joint action means almost all planned care will come to a stop, and hundreds of thousands of appointments will be postponed, which is incredibly difficult for patients and their families, and poses an enormous challenge for colleagues across the NHS.”<\/p>\n He said people should use 999 and A&E as normal “in a life-threatening situation” but that for everything else they should use 111 online or seek help from GPs and pharmacies.<\/p>\n The deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said: “This week\u2019s industrial action, including a joint walkout by consultants and junior doctors for the first time, is likely to cause disruption to patient care unlike anything we\u2019ve seen before.<\/p>\n “The continuing dispute \u2013 and the absence of meaningful dialogue between the two sides \u2013 is worrying for patients, demoralising for staff, and damaging for the NHS.”<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/Rishi-Sunak-4965758.jpg?r=1695054783946\")
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Junior doctors\u2019 walkout led to 61,000 delays for patients[REVEAL] <\/strong>
Seven out of ten say doctor strikes put patients in danger[INSIGHT] <\/strong>
Pay offer is fair so docs must call off damaging strikes, says TIM NEWARK[ANALYSIS] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/Junior-doctors-4965761.jpg?r=1695054784060\")
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