Edward Nevins

The doctors’ strikes have ended and the BMA have invited me back to the negotiating table, which is ironic because I never left. I’ve written to them today to continue the conversation where they left it, before they inflicted five days of harm on patients and the NHS.

Doctors are fleeing the NHS. Every year, 20 000 doctors are leaving the profession prematurely - many because their pay no longer reflects the weight of the job. The real question isn’t whether we can afford to pay doctors. It’s whether we can afford the cost of losing them.

Dear resident doctors…

The media love to vilify Doctors - ultimately because many of the British public despise us. They banged pans when we risked our lives during the pandemic. Yet when it comes to T&Cs, our salaries are compared to the UK average 🤦🏻‍♂️ The public will get the NHS they deserve!

Until 23/24 colleagues were saying ‘it’s not the right time, let’s keep our powder dry’, this years award was less than RPI and CPIH of the same month and less than average pay rises in private sector. The graph shows you what will happen.

After a 28.9% pay rise thanks to a Labour government, patients and the public will be dismayed that the BMA is choosing to strike - and so am I. I have written to the BMA today reaffirming our preference to work together to improve their working lives and rebuild our NHS.