Junior Doctors Could Walk Out Every Month For Rest Of Year

Junior doctors could go on strike for a week every month for the rest of the year, as the row over a new contract being imposed by the Government escalates.

Strike action was staged between January and April, after an agreement over Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt's proposals was not reached.

Earlier this month the junior doctors committee (JDC) of the British Medical Association (BMA) requested a meeting of the BMA Council to authorise a "rolling programme of escalated industrial action", starting in early September.

Leaked papers suggest they plan to strike from 8am to 5pm for five days in a row every month, with the first walk-outs possibly starting on 12 September.

A BMA spokesman said: "Junior doctors have been clear in their rejection of Jeremy Hunt's imposed contract.

"It should come as no surprise that BMA Council are discussing the issue of further industrial action. But at this stage, no decisions have been made."

The proposals are expected to be put to senior officials at the BMA on Wednesday. A vote will take place and an announcement is expected later.

If it does happen, thousands of scheduled operations are likely to be postponed and the JDC acknowledged that there would be a "regrettable impact on patient care".

According to the Daily Mail, the leaked papers say: "The proposal for council's consideration and vote is for a rolling programme of escalated industrial action beginning with five consecutive weekdays in September (8am to 5pm, full withdrawal of labour) followed by further five-day walkouts in each month to the end of the year."

The JDC said the risk of patient harm "increases considerably with four full weeks of full withdrawal".

It adds: "The level of cancellation of procedures and patient disruption would increase dramatically."

The Government announced in July that it would impose a new contract after junior doctors and medical students voted to reject a contract brokered with the BMA.

There have been eight days of strikes so far this year, between 24 and 48 hours long.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "As doctors' representatives, the BMA should be putting patients first not playing politics in a way that will be immensely damaging for vulnerable patients."