Top medics have urged doctors to soften their stance and tell hospitals if they are striking amid fears they will risk patient safety.
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AMoRC), which represents medical colleges across the country, has urged the British Medical Association (BMA) to suspend its guidance for doctors, which suggests they should not inform their employers whether they plan to strike or not.
In a rare intervention on Wednesday, the AMoRC said this would make it extremely difficult for health service leaders and managers to maintain safe patient care.
Resident doctors are set to strike on Friday at 7am for five consecutive days after talks with the government broke down and failed to avert the action.
The BMA is calling for a 29 per cent pay rise, claiming doctors have seen a 20 per cent pay erosion in their salaries since 2008.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, described the strike action as “completely unjustified”. He added: “It shows a complete disdain for patients and the wider recovery of the NHS.” The BMA said the health secretary’s offer did not go far enough on pay.
Royal Colleges’ pleas come as The Independent understands that in at least one area of the country, Cheltenham, hospital chiefs have been considering reducing one full A&E service, following mandates that NHS trusts must not cancel routine care.
This would likely result in similar measures to those taken during strikes in December 2023, when Cheltenham A&E changed to a minor injury unit during the day due to concerns over the ability to staff the full A&E.
The trust is due to announce whether changes will go ahead on Thursday morning.
Elsewhere, hospital leaders have said they will likely have to cancel some operations and appointments during the strikes, despite NHS England’s official mandate to continue with routine care.
Ahead of the strikes, the BMA has published guidance for striking doctors who are asked by trusts if they intend to take industrial action, stating that they are “not legally required to respond to such questions” and that the BMA has advised them are not obliged to answer.
Now the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has said it “recognises the right of resident doctors to take industrial action, including by striking. However, following the disappointing news that talks with the Government seem to have broken down, the Academy is today calling on the BMA to suspend its guidance to doctors, which states they should not inform their employers whether they plan to strike or not.
“We know that legally those striking need not inform their employers, but by withholding this vital information, health service leaders and hospital managers have said it will be extremely difficult to maintain safe patient care when they have no idea how many doctors will be absent during the five days of strike action, which begin on Friday.”
Other senior medics speaking with The Independent have said they do not support the planned strikes this week.
One, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I think it’s the wrong time. I think the sympathy’s gone. So many people are frightened of speaking out, really frightened. They get abused.
“I think [resident doctors] are very angry. I think this is wrong for them to take it out like this – they need to think again. I think about what’s good for the country, because what’s good for the country is good for the NHS, and what’s good for the NHS is good for them.
Ahead of the strikes, the BMA and NHS England have clashed over plans for routine care to go ahead. NHS England chief Jim Mackey told NHS trusts they must not cancel routine operations. However, the BMA has warned that this will put patients at risk as consultants will not be able to manage both emergency and routine care demands.
Several hospital leaders told The Independent they will likely have to cancel some routine care, with emergency care being the priority in terms of safety.
One trust executive said cancelling operations where patients would have to prep was the “humane thing to do”.
They said: “Even though we come under a lot of pressure [not to cancel] we’ve always taken the view that the humane thing to do… It’s not responsible to put people through that kind of physical and emotional preparation.”
During the previous round of strikes in June 2024, around 64,000 operations and patient appointments were cancelled.
