‘Optimist’ Victoria Atkins targets end to doctors’ strike

The new Health Secretary has said she is taking an “optimistic approach” to ending industrial action and wants to get round the table with the British Medical Association (BMA).

Addressing a conference of NHS managers, Victoria Atkins said she was keen to bring an end to the deadlock over medics’ pay.

The Government and BMA entered talks about pay of junior doctors and consultants last month, with the vast majority of meetings held at official level.

Ms Atkins told the NHS Providers conference in Liverpool that she was aware the health service is under pressure, saying: “We know winter will be challenging.”

She continued: “Believe me, I’m an optimist. Together we can overcome these challenges and take the long-term decisions that will build a brighter future for the NHS. And this is the approach I would take to industrial action.

“I’m acutely aware of how the strikes have disrupted patient care. And I’m committed to getting around the table because I want to see a fair and reasonable resolution.”

She told the audience her belief in the NHS and its founding principles was “truly personal” and one of the reasons she came into politics – saying she wanted to make sure it is “fighting fit for our children and our grandchildren”.

The pre-recorded message was her first speech since being appointed as Health Secretary, replacing Steve Barclay, who became Environment Secretary.

Mr Barclay had seen almost a year of industrial action by doctors, and before that nurses and other health workers, during his time in post.

A government source said: “This isn’t a radical departure from before but there is a slightly more optimistic tone. Getting the NHS through this winter is the big priority.”

Talks between the BMA and Department of Health and Social Care began last month, with meetings between officials continuing on Monday even as Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, embarked on his Cabinet reshuffle.

Health service leaders have said more strikes by doctors this winter is their “major fear”, with eight in 10 expecting this winter to be an even worse crisis than last winter.

On Tuesday, the BMA said its leaders have written to the Health Secretary urging her to work with them to resolve the disputes.

In her speech, Ms Atkins said: “My belief in our national health service and its founding principles is one of the reasons I came into politics.

“Now I know you might hear this a lot, but for me, it is truly personal. Like families up around the country, I owe our NHS a lot. It has cared for me and my family and bought my wonderful son into the world.

“And I want to make sure that it’s here and fighting fit for our children and our grandchildren, just as it’s been here for us.”

Ms Atkins said she was aware that the NHS was facing a number of challenges, saying it was time to “roll up our sleeves and get on with the job” of delivering for patients.

She said: “This winter will be challenging, but I know that rising to such challenges is what you will do so well.

“You’ve overcome a once-in-a-generation pandemic. You’ve tackled the longest waits for care that it left behind, and you’re delivering reforms that will give patients more choice and control over their care.”

Welcoming her appointment earlier this week, Prof Philip Banfield, BMA Council chairman, said: “The new Health Secretary must make solving the NHS’s workforce crisis her top priority.

“Negotiations to find a fair way forward to restore doctors’ lost pay and value their unique expertise must continue unabated. Long waiting lists and striking doctors have the same root causes – a catastrophic and chronic under-investment in our NHS.

“Time is almost up to get credible pay offers on the table; an opportunity to both end strikes and boost the recruitment and retention of doctors. This would not just get long-suffering patients the planned care they need, but give us some glimmer of hope, however slim, of getting through this winter more safely.”

Junior doctors have been campaigning for a pay rise of up to one third, while consultants – with average earnings of £134,000 – are seeking a significant increase, saying their pay has fallen by more than a third in a decade.

Officials have signalled that financial incentives other than headline pay may be considered, meaning other systems of awards, such as merit or productivity bonuses, could be among options examined.

Amanda Pritchard, the NHS chief executive, told NHS bosses that industrial action was “one of the first things” she discussed with Victoria Atkins in a “wide-ranging discussion” with the new Health Secretary on Monday.

Asked by a conference of NHS managers what the first thing she asked the Health Secretary, Ms Pritchard said: “I wonder if you’d be interested to know the first thing she asked me. The first question she asked me was: what can I do to help you We then had a very wide-ranging discussion.”

She went on to say it would be “unsurprising to know that one of the first things we talked about was industrial action”.

“We’ve been really clear, consistently we have talked about the impact industrial action has had on patients, teams and colleagues, finances and also called on all sides to work together to find a resolution - so that was one of many things we discussed,” she added.