Junior doctors' strike: BMA suspends industrial action planned for next week

Next week's planned strike by junior doctors has been suspended, after NHS England said the health service would be unable to cope if medics walked out.

Earlier the doctors' regulator, the General Medical Council, warned that patients would "suffer" given the scale of the action at such short notice.

The British Medical Association has today said that, following discussion with NHS England, it will suspend next week's planned action.

Medics were due to stage strikes from September 12 to 16, on October 5, 6, 7, 10 and 11, November 14 to 18 and December 5 to 9, withdrawing from labour between the hours of 8am and 5pm, in the ongoing dispute over a controversial new contract.

The BMA has said that although it is suspending the industrial action planned for the week of September 12, "the remaining programme of industrial action stays in place."

Ellen McCourt, chairwoman of the BMA's junior doctors committee, said: "Over the past few days we have been described as radical, we have been described as militant, we have been described as prioritising ourselves over our patient's safety. This is not true.

"Patient safety remains doctors' primary concern. For the first time in this dispute, NHS England have told us that a service under such pressure cannot cope with the notice period for industrial action given.

"Our hospitals are chronically understaffed. Our NHS is desperately underfunded. We have to listen to our colleagues when they tell us that they need more time to keep patients safe."

In July, the Government announced that it would impose a new contract after junior doctors and medical students voted to reject the contract brokered between health leaders and the BMA.

The BMA said it will call off the planned series of strikes if the Government agrees to stop the imposition.

A BMA spokesman said: "Patient safety remains doctors' priority and since the announcement last week of further action, the BMA has been liaising with NHS leaders so that plans can be put in place swiftly to minimise disruption for patients.

"This action is still avoidable. The BMA has said it will call off next week's action if the Government puts a halt to plans to force junior doctors to work under a contract they have rejected because they don't believe it is good for the future of patient care or the profession."

Six strikes have already taken place across England during the lengthy dispute, causing disruption to hundreds of thousands of patients who have had appointments and operations cancelled.

"This action is still avoidable. The BMA has said it will call off next week's action if the Government puts a halt to plans to force junior doctors to work under a contract they have rejected because they don't believe it is good for the future of patient care or the profession."