BMA chiefs overruled their negotiators because pay demands were not met, sources say
Wes Streeting thought he had struck a deal with resident doctors to stop a five-day strike in England, only for the British Medical Association to then reject it, sources have claimed.
The health secretary believed he had secured a verbal agreement with the co-chairs of the BMA’s resident doctors committee for a deal that involved progress on tackling five non-pay issues.
Whitehall sources say Ross Nieuwoudt and Melissa Ryan decided the agreement made during face-to-face talks last Tuesday was enough for the suspension of the strike, which started on Friday.
The deal would have involved resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – getting access to hot meals when working overnight, having some exam fees paid, receiving funding for equipment such as stethoscopes and getting mess rooms and changes to the way their postgraduate training was organised.
