The plea came as the five-day resident doctor strikes finished at 07:00 today (30 July). The resident doctors have a strike mandate that runs until 6 January, and union leaders have suggested industrial action could intensify this autumn.
Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: ‘Many patients will not have experienced any disruption whatsoever to their care and that is thanks to the NHS doing its best to keep the show on the road. It is welcome to hear from members that in many places fewer resident doctors have gone on strike and the impact has been less severe than previous walk-outs.
‘This does not take away from the frustration and inconvenience of patients who have had their vital care delayed and are now facing even longer waits in pain and discomfort. We know that delays can also lead to people's conditions worsening or cause increased worry and stress - particularly if they are waiting for a critical diagnosis such as cancer.
‘That is why we would urge the BMA to recognise that the government is not in a position to provide additional pay rises given the pressure on departmental budgets. Further strikes will cause yet more disruption, delay more treatments and increase the risk to patient safety. We hope the BMA will think about the impact strikes have had on patients and fellow staff before calling more walk-outs.'
The BMA is also launching an additional linked dispute with the Government, demanding action on pay and training bottlenecks on behalf of newly-qualified doctors, as its latest survey reveals half of resident doctors finishing foundation training have no job for next month. This year, there were more than 30,000 doctors applying for just 10,000 specialty training places. However, with just days to go, 52% of FY2 doctors surveyed by the BMA said they have no substantive employment secured from August, when the new roles begin.
BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs, Dr Ross Nieuwoudt and Dr Melissa Ryan, said: ‘Throughout this dispute, ballot and industrial action, one thing we have heard from our colleagues is the genuine fear and real worry about being able to secure a job in the future. Today's survey results show these fears realised.
‘It's absurd that in a country where the Government says bringing down NHS waiting lists is one of its top priorities, not only is it not prepared to restore doctors' pay, but it also won't provide jobs for doctors ready, willing and capable to progress in their careers.'
They added: ‘Commitments from the Government to address this don't go far enough or are too vague to convince us that they understand the gravity of the situation, so we're making clear that, alongside pay, we are entering a dispute and demanding action so that no UK-trained, capable, doctor is left underemployed in the NHS.'
