College Statement on Industrial Action Ballot

22 Feb 2023

Commenting on the result of the BMA’s UK Junior Doctors Committee ballot on industrial action in England this week, President Mike McKirdy said:

“This week the BMA’s UK Junior Doctors Committee announced the ballot result in England, which showed that a substantial majority of junior doctors have voted in favour of industrial action.

Junior doctors represent a critical part of the NHS and we understand why, in the current climate, they may choose to strike. Alongside other NHS staff, they have worked on the frontline of the NHS throughout the pandemic, and still work in challenging conditions. Workforce and recruitment problems, combined with the unprecedented pressures of rising clinical demand, are leaving many doctors in training demoralised, burnt out and struggling to work in an overstretched and underfunded service. Their access to training opportunities is also compromised in many hospitals across the UK. We are deeply concerned that these challenges, coupled with increased personal financial pressures, have naturally left them feeling undervalued.

We want to make it clear to Members and Fellows of our College, and others across the NHS workforce, that we continue to make their views heard. We have pushed hard for the UK Government to publish its workforce plan for the NHS as soon as possible, and we are pleased that there has now been a commitment from the Chancellor to do so. We have also recommended that trusts offer a better work-life balance through measures to accommodate flexible working policies, including less than full-time working.

We will continue to support our members, for their well-being, their training, the sustainability of services and ultimately, for the benefit of patients.

It is our hope that the Government and the BMA’s UK Junior Doctors Committee come to a swift agreement, which recognises the great value that trainees bring to the NHS, minimises the impact on services and senior clinicians and reassures patients that they will continue to receive the high level of care they rightly expect.”

Categories: College, Wellbeing, Workforce