Dr Tom Dolphin

‘We’re ready to meet him any time’

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/were-ready-meet-him-any-time

Junior doctors and members of the British Medical Association (BMA) outside St Thomas’ Hospital, London, January 3, 2024

BMA hits back at Streeting’s ‘juvenile delinquency’ and ‘moaning minnies’ accusations

HEALTH SECRETARY Wes Streeting put himself on the warpath with the BMA union today, [yesterday] saying he has “had it” while accusing doctors of “juvenile delinquency” and being “moaning minnies” as they prepare Christmas strikes.

His tantrum came as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) warned that a corridor care crisis could be repeated in English hospitals this winter.

BMA council chair Dr Tom Dolphin said: “It’s disappointing that, despite his comments about wanting to reach an agreement to call off this month’s strikes, the Secretary of State spent the morning making disparaging remarks about our members in the media rather than getting around the table with us.

“We’re surprised at the tone he’s taking, as we’re very much looking forward to meeting with him and his department to settle the various disputes for the good of both doctors and patients. We’re ready to meet him any time.”

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/were-ready-meet-him-any-time

Continue Reading‘We’re ready to meet him any time’

Resident doctors’ 29% pay claim is non-negotiable, BMA chair says

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https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jul/11/resident-doctors-29-pay-claim-is-non-negotiable-bma-chair-says

NHS emblem
NHS logo. Resident doctors in England will strike later this month after being offered a 5.4% pay rise, which the government say will not be revisited.

Resident doctors’ 29% pay claim is non-negotiable, reasonable and easily affordable for the NHS, the new leader of the medical profession has said.

Strikes to ensure resident – formerly junior – doctors in England get the full 29% could drag on for years, according to Dr Tom Dolphin, the British Medical Association’s new council chair.

The doctors’ union will not negotiate on or accept a lower figure because that is the extent of the real-terms loss of earnings resident doctors have suffered since 2008, which they want restored – in full – Dolphin told the Guardian in his first interview since taking over last month.

The 29% demand is not up for negotiation “because it’s based on a principle”, said Dolphin, a consultant anaesthetist. “If we picked a different number, that wouldn’t achieve the pay restoration. So that’s why it looks inflexible.”

Dolphin blamed the five-day strike that tens of thousands of resident doctors plan to stage later this month on Wes Streeting, the health secretary, giving them a 22% pay rise over two years last year but not following it up with an award this year to take account of the 29% claim. He said the disruption that the 120-hour walkout would cause was his fault, not theirs.

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Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jul/11/resident-doctors-29-pay-claim-is-non-negotiable-bma-chair-says

Continue ReadingResident doctors’ 29% pay claim is non-negotiable, BMA chair says