When the BMA announced a new round of strikes they will have been prepared for a backlash from certain quarters. The criticism yesterday from Jeremy Hunt and Theresa May, who accused striking doctors of ‘playing politics’, won’t have come as a surprise. But what is different about this latest, unprecedented industrial action are the attacks on junior doctors now coming from fellow medics. For the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges to intervene as they did last night indicates a significant shift in this drawn-out dispute. Here’s what they said in a statement:
‘The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges is disappointed at the prospect of further sustained industrial action by junior doctors. We are acutely aware that the NHS is under extreme pressure at the moment. Patient safety and quality of care must be the priority. We know there are genuine concerns about the contract and working arrangements, but we do not consider the proposed strikes are proportionate.
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