Professor John Robertson OBA

BBC Scotland‘s insert in BBC Breakfast this morning headlined the ballot which may or may not lead to action ‘next year’, as resident doctors do actually go on strike in England. Since when did trade union ballots become front page news? Not one newspaper in Scotland has front-paged it.

BBC Scotland‘s website below also had a link to the story.

This is an editorial decision. It’s not random.

BBC Scotland does mention that strikes were avoided last year but did not tell viewers what had been achieved ie avoided, by the Scottish Government’s actions.

Here it is again:

What were the consequences the last time Junior/Resident doctors went on strike in England?

After the last set of Junior Doctor strikes in 2023/2024, there were serious concerns about postponed appointments and excess deaths due to these.

Above, the shocking picture of 52 out of the last 365 days when doctors were on strike in England. There were no days lost to action in Scotland.

According to the Guardian on 10 January 2025, junior doctor strikes caused around 1.3 million appointments to be cancelled. Had there been comparable action in Scotland, around 130 000 appointments would have been lost.

According to the Telegraph on 2 January, there were nearly 53 000 excess deaths in 2023 ‘amid’ the strikes across the UK so, had there been strikes in Scotland, the implication is more than 5 000 deaths were averted by the actions of Humza Yousaf as Health Secretary and then as FM in respecting, meeting with and settling with both consultants and junior doctors, without a single day lost to action.

The SNP settlement to avoid strikes?

From the Guardian July 13, 2023, live feed 08.34:

BMA leaders Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said:

Today marks the start of the longest single walkout by doctors in the NHS’s history, but this is still not a record that needs to go into the history books.

We can call this strike off today if the UK Government will simply follow the example of the government in Scotland and drop their nonsensical precondition of not talking whilst strikes are announced and produce an offer which is credible to the doctors they are speaking with.

The pay offer on the table to junior doctors in Scotland and how it was reached throws into sharp relief the obstinate approach being taken by the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary, Steve Barclay.

The Health Secretary has said there can be no talks while strikes are planned – Scotland has proved him wrong. He said above 5% wasn’t realistic – Scotland proved him wrong. He refused to even acknowledge the concept of pay restoration – Scotland proved this is not only possible but essential.

The BMA leaders said talks have to be resumed, adding:

The government’s refusal to talk with junior doctors in England who have strikes planned is out of keeping with all norms of industrial action.

Doctors have a right to expect that as in Scotland, and as in many other recent industrial disputes, talks will continue right up to the last minute to try and reach a deal without the need to strike.

The complete inflexibility we see from the UK government today is baffling, frustrating and ultimately destructive for everyone who wants waiting lists to go down and NHS staffing numbers to go up.

The government has missed chance after chance to provide a credible offer and potentially bring to an end the industrial action by junior doctors in England and whilst there are differences between junior doctors and governments in England and Scotland, the UK government has far more financial freedom to give doctors what they deserve.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2023/jul/13/doctors-strike-nhs-rishi-sunak-pay-uk-politics-live

Chair BMA Scotland, Dr Iain Kennedy was strangely not available for comment. Having tea with Sandesh Gulhane MSP (Con)?