Latest news with #RossNieuwoudt
The Sun
3 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Money-grabbing BMA medics see patients as collateral damage in their single-minded pursuit of cash
Merciless cruelty of striking doctors YOU'LL never see a poor doctor. The old saying is borne out by the revelation that striking junior medics can earn as much as £100,000 a year. 2 2 Remember these are the grasping mercenaries Labour immediately handed a 28.9 per cent pay rise after the mayhem they caused last year. Sure enough the Marxist militants of the British Medical Association saw this as an invitation to strike for even more and slapped in a staggering 29 per cent pay demand. The union fanatics use despicable tactics to keep strikes secret from trusts, making it harder for them to plan cover. Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, co-leader of the BMA's resident doctors committee, told his members: 'You do NOT have a legal responsibility to disclose whether you are striking.'' This kind of merciless cruelty would make Arthur Scargill proud. Last-minute strikes are bad enough in any public service dispute but in the field of patient care this amounts to a dereliction of duty which the BMA must know will cost lives. Not all doctors go along with this madness. Almost half of the BMA membership didn't vote in the strike ballot. Professor Lord Winston, the IVF pioneer and highly respected medic, has understandably quit the union in disgust. As he says: 'Doctors need to be reminded that every time they have a patient in front of them, they have someone who is frightened and in pain. It's important they consider their own responsibility much more seriously.' Wise words. But totally lost on those money-grabbing BMA medics who see patients as collateral damage in their single-minded pursuit of cash. It makes Zero sense SIR Keir Starmer seems profoundly deaf to dire industry warnings that his crazy £800billion dash for Net Zero will cripple the economy. But will the PM listen to his own MPs? A commission headed by Labour MP Henry Tufnell says eco levies imposed on businesses to curb carbon emissions could destroy manufacturing jobs for good. These ideologically driven taxes are far higher than those imposed by other countries, undermining our global competitiveness. They could force giant oil and gas producers to move abroad. When Britain is mired in financial woes, it is ludicrous to be chasing unaffordable and unachievable climate dreams. When are you going to see sense and scrap Net Zero, PM?
South Wales Guardian
09-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Public ‘will not forgive' strike action by resident doctors, says Streeting
It comes after a British Medical Association (BMA) ballot in which resident doctors in England, formerly known as junior doctors, voted to strike over pay, giving them a mandate for action until January 2026. The Health Secretary wrote in The Times that walkouts would be a 'disaster' for BMA members and patients, saying the Government 'can't afford' pay rises. He said: 'I urge the BMA, even at this late stage, to reconsider this deeply damaging course of action. 'Work with a government that actually wants to work with you: to improve working conditions for staff and care for patients. 'The public will not forgive strike action in these circumstances and nor will I.' Some 90% of voting resident doctors backed strike action, with the BMA reporting a turnout of 55%. The union has said that resident doctors need a pay uplift of 29.2% to reverse 'pay erosion' since 2008/09. BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: 'All we need is a credible pay offer and nobody need strike. 'Doctors don't take industrial action lightly – but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away. 'The next move is the Government's.' A Number 10 spokesman said: 'We aren't going to reopen negotiations on pay. 'Resident doctors have received the highest pay award across the public sector for two years in a row, and we've been clear that we can't be more generous than we already have this year.' Previous strikes by resident doctors and other staff groups saw some 1.5 million appointments, procedures and operations postponed as a result. The waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England is currently at its lowest level for two years, according to the latest figures, with an estimated 7.39 million treatments waiting to be carried out at the end of April. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said: 'Further strikes are the last thing health leaders wanted and could result in tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of operations and procedures being delayed or cancelled, leaving patients in pain or discomfort.' Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: 'A return to industrial action would be a huge setback – bad for patients, for staff and for the NHS.' In September, BMA members voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years. And the 2025/26 pay deal saw resident doctors given a 4% uplift plus £750 'on a consolidated basis' – working out as an average pay rise of 5.4%. The BMA call for a 29.2% uplift is based on Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, the measure of average changes in the price of goods and services used by most households.
Glasgow Times
09-07-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Public ‘will not forgive' strike action by resident doctors, says Streeting
It comes after a British Medical Association (BMA) ballot in which resident doctors in England, formerly known as junior doctors, voted to strike over pay, giving them a mandate for action until January 2026. The Health Secretary wrote in The Times that walkouts would be a 'disaster' for BMA members and patients, saying the Government 'can't afford' pay rises. He said: 'I urge the BMA, even at this late stage, to reconsider this deeply damaging course of action. 'Work with a government that actually wants to work with you: to improve working conditions for staff and care for patients. 'The public will not forgive strike action in these circumstances and nor will I.' Some 90% of voting resident doctors backed strike action, with the BMA reporting a turnout of 55%. The union has said that resident doctors need a pay uplift of 29.2% to reverse 'pay erosion' since 2008/09. BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: 'All we need is a credible pay offer and nobody need strike. 'Doctors don't take industrial action lightly – but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away. 'The next move is the Government's.' A Number 10 spokesman said: 'We aren't going to reopen negotiations on pay. 'Resident doctors have received the highest pay award across the public sector for two years in a row, and we've been clear that we can't be more generous than we already have this year.' Previous strikes by resident doctors and other staff groups saw some 1.5 million appointments, procedures and operations postponed as a result. The waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England is currently at its lowest level for two years, according to the latest figures, with an estimated 7.39 million treatments waiting to be carried out at the end of April. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said: 'Further strikes are the last thing health leaders wanted and could result in tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of operations and procedures being delayed or cancelled, leaving patients in pain or discomfort.' Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: 'A return to industrial action would be a huge setback – bad for patients, for staff and for the NHS.' In September, BMA members voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years. And the 2025/26 pay deal saw resident doctors given a 4% uplift plus £750 'on a consolidated basis' – working out as an average pay rise of 5.4%. The BMA call for a 29.2% uplift is based on Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, the measure of average changes in the price of goods and services used by most households.
North Wales Chronicle
08-07-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Public ‘will not forgive' strike action by resident doctors, says Streeting
It comes after a British Medical Association (BMA) ballot in which resident doctors in England, formerly known as junior doctors, voted to strike over pay, giving them a mandate for action until January 2026. The Health Secretary wrote in The Times that walkouts would be a 'disaster' for BMA members and patients, saying the Government 'can't afford' pay rises. He said: 'I urge the BMA, even at this late stage, to reconsider this deeply damaging course of action. 'Work with a government that actually wants to work with you: to improve working conditions for staff and care for patients. 'The public will not forgive strike action in these circumstances and nor will I.' Some 90% of voting resident doctors backed strike action, with the BMA reporting a turnout of 55%. The union has said that resident doctors need a pay uplift of 29.2% to reverse 'pay erosion' since 2008/09. BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: 'All we need is a credible pay offer and nobody need strike. 'Doctors don't take industrial action lightly – but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away. 'The next move is the Government's.' A Number 10 spokesman said: 'We aren't going to reopen negotiations on pay. 'Resident doctors have received the highest pay award across the public sector for two years in a row, and we've been clear that we can't be more generous than we already have this year.' Previous strikes by resident doctors and other staff groups saw some 1.5 million appointments, procedures and operations postponed as a result. The waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England is currently at its lowest level for two years, according to the latest figures, with an estimated 7.39 million treatments waiting to be carried out at the end of April. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said: 'Further strikes are the last thing health leaders wanted and could result in tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of operations and procedures being delayed or cancelled, leaving patients in pain or discomfort.' Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: 'A return to industrial action would be a huge setback – bad for patients, for staff and for the NHS.' In September, BMA members voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years. And the 2025/26 pay deal saw resident doctors given a 4% uplift plus £750 'on a consolidated basis' – working out as an average pay rise of 5.4%. The BMA call for a 29.2% uplift is based on Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, the measure of average changes in the price of goods and services used by most households.
The Herald Scotland
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Public ‘will not forgive' strike action by resident doctors, says Streeting
The Health Secretary wrote in The Times that walkouts would be a 'disaster' for BMA members and patients, saying the Government 'can't afford' pay rises. He said: 'I urge the BMA, even at this late stage, to reconsider this deeply damaging course of action. 'Work with a government that actually wants to work with you: to improve working conditions for staff and care for patients. 'The public will not forgive strike action in these circumstances and nor will I.' Some 90% of voting resident doctors backed strike action, with the BMA reporting a turnout of 55%. The union has said that resident doctors need a pay uplift of 29.2% to reverse 'pay erosion' since 2008/09. BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: 'All we need is a credible pay offer and nobody need strike. 'Doctors don't take industrial action lightly – but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away. 'The next move is the Government's.' A Number 10 spokesman said: 'We aren't going to reopen negotiations on pay. 'Resident doctors have received the highest pay award across the public sector for two years in a row, and we've been clear that we can't be more generous than we already have this year.' Previous strikes by resident doctors and other staff groups saw some 1.5 million appointments, procedures and operations postponed as a result. The waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England is currently at its lowest level for two years, according to the latest figures, with an estimated 7.39 million treatments waiting to be carried out at the end of April. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said: 'Further strikes are the last thing health leaders wanted and could result in tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of operations and procedures being delayed or cancelled, leaving patients in pain or discomfort.' Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: 'A return to industrial action would be a huge setback – bad for patients, for staff and for the NHS.' In September, BMA members voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3% on average over two years. And the 2025/26 pay deal saw resident doctors given a 4% uplift plus £750 'on a consolidated basis' – working out as an average pay rise of 5.4%. The BMA call for a 29.2% uplift is based on Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, the measure of average changes in the price of goods and services used by most households.
