Junior doctors will 'withdraw emergency care' during strike

Junior doctors
Health
Wednesday 23 March 2016 at 2:30pm

Credit: Chris Radburn/PA

Junior doctors are set to add the withdrawal of emergency care to the next strike action.

The British Medical Association (BMA) confirmed the announcement saying the plans for the scheduled strike on April 26 and 27 had "escalated to a full withdrawal of labour."

In previous days of industrial action doctors have still provided emergency cover.

According to the BMA the escalation of what would be covered by the strike comes as a result of "the continued refusal by the Government to step back from its decision to impose a new contract on junior doctors".

In a statement it said:

The BMA has today confirmed an escalation of the junior doctor industrial action scheduled for April. This follows the continued refusal by the government to step back from its decision to impose a new contract on junior doctors from August this year and resolve the dispute by re-entering talks. The industrial action scheduled for 26 April will change from 48-hour emergency care only to a full withdrawal of labour by junior doctors between the hours of 8am and 5pm on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 April. Other doctors and staff will continue to provide care during this time. The 48-hour emergency care only action due to start at 8am on Wednesday 6 April and end at 8am on Friday 8 April will go ahead as planned. In a ballot of junior doctors, 98 per cent of those who voted supported taking industrial action, including a full withdrawal of labour.

According to ITV News health editor Rachel Younger the chairman of the BMA said junior doctors felt they had been left with "no choice" but to take this extra action after they were told new contracts would come into force in August despite opposition from the medical community.