Junior doctors vote for first all-out strike in NHS history

Almost 40,000 junior doctors have been balloted for industrial action over a dispute with the Government over a new contract. This represents a 76 per cent turnout.

More than 99 per cent voted in favour of industrial action short of a strike, and 98 per cent for full strike action, the BMA said.

The result means that doctors could walk out in three days of strike action during the high-pressure winter period, where demand rises as the cold weather worsens.

The junior doctors will provide “emergency care only” action for 24 hours on December 1, followed by a full walk out from 8am to 5pm on 8 December and 16 December.

An all-out strike would be the first by doctors in NHS history. Previous strikes in 1975 and 2012 fell short of a full walkout.

The decision follows a last ditch attempt from Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary to negotiate the terms of the contract, including an 11 per cent rise in basic pay.

However, junior doctors argue this rise is offset by a reduction in the number of overtime hours in a week that are paid at a premium rate.

Currently any hours worked outside regular hours of 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday, but Mr Hunt wants to set regular hours at 7am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 7pm on Saturdays, severely reducing the overtime some doctors can earn.

Mr Hunt has said that it will be “very hard” to avoid putting patients at risk if the strikes go ahead.

The BMA has refused to get back round the negotiating table with the Government in the row over the new contract, which is set to be imposed from next summer on doctors working up to consultant level.

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: “The Patients Association are extremely worried by the confirmation that industrial action by junior doctors will go ahead.

“Patient safety will undoubtedly be put at risk by this decision.

“Whilst the views of doctors must be heard, the potential consequences of this strike for patients are severe.”

Dr Mark Porter, BMA council chair, said: “We regret the inevitable disruption that this will cause but it is the government’s adamant insistence on imposing a contract that is unsafe for patients in the future, and unfair for doctors now and in the future, that has brought us to this point.”

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The union has asked the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) to get involved to offer independent arbitration in an effort to avoid the strike. This is something the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which normally stays out of politics, has said it supports.