Junior doctors’ strike: Politicians and union leaders insist it is up to other side to back down as two-day walkout begins

Health Secretary says he will not be ‘blackmailed’ into dropping Government’s manifesto pledge for seven-day health service on first day of two-day strike

Doctors striking outside St Thomas' Hospital in London (Getty Images)

The first day of an all-out strike by junior doctors appeared to have passed off without major incident – but resulted in thousands of cancelled operations further bad blood between medics and the Government.

Figures released by NHS England suggested that around one in five junior doctors who were supposed to turn up to work failed to do so.

The BMA insisted that of its members “more or less all of those eligible to take action did so” and said the vast majority of those at work were not members of the union.

But hospital managers said that as a result of “herculean efforts” of those staff who did turn up to work no patient’s safety had been compromised.

With another strike scheduled for Wednesday, they called for the public to think carefully before putting extra burdens on A&E services.

“The NHS exists to help the sick and people in need and we’d like to sincerely apologise to the more than a hundred thousand people facing disruption during this strike,” said Dr Anne Rainsberry, National Incident Director for NHS England.

“The NHS is open for business but in some places may be under specific pressure. We ask the public to use it wisely in this very challenging time as some services may change and some may be busier than usual”.

But with no sign of the impasse coming to an end both politicians and union leaders dug in insisting it was up to the other side to back down and compromise.

The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said he would not be “blackmailed” into dropping the Government’s manifesto pledge for a seven-day health service.

“It was the first page of our manifesto that we'd have a seven-day NHS,” Mr Hunt said.

“I don't think any union has the right to blackmail the Government, to force the Government to abandon a manifesto promise that the British people have voted on.”

Mr Hunt insisted he was motivated by a desire to improve weekend services and even hinted that he might stand down from frontline politics rather than taking up another Cabinet post.

“This is likely to be my last big job in politics. The one thing that would keep me awake is if I didn't do the right thing to help make the NHS one of the safest, highest quality healthcare systems in the world,” he told the BBC.

“Health secretaries are never popular. You are never going to win a contest for being the most liked person when you do this job. But what history judges is did you take the tough and difficult decisions that enabled the NHS to deliver high-quality care for patients. For me, that's what it's about.”

An Ipsos Mori poll for BBC News has found 57 per cent support the doctors' cause while a quarter opposed it.

The majority still think the Government is most at fault for the dispute - but a rising number think the Government and doctors are equally to blame.

The BMA defended the walkout, repeating its stance that it would have called off the strike if Mr Hunt agreed to lift his threat to impose the contract.

The head of the BMA, Mark Porter, said that the Government had “distorted” weekend death statistics, and stressed that emergency cover would be provided by consultants during the strike.

“The Health Secretary is trying to find some way to throw mud at the junior doctors of this country who have been providing weekend and night emergency cover since the NHS started,” he said.

Dr Johann Malawana, the BMA’s junior doctor committee chair, added: “Junior doctors deeply regret the disruption to patients and are taking this action as a last resort and with a heavy heart, but the Government’s refusal to negotiate has left them with no option but to take short term action to protect the NHS in the long term.

“We continue to call on the Government to get back around the table and to listen to the concerns of doctors, which are about much more than pay.

David Cameron told ITV News the strike was ”not right“ and said he fully supported Mr Hunt's handling of the strike and added: “There is a good contract on the table with a 13.5 per cent increase in basic pay - 75 per cent of doctors will be better off with this contract.

“It's the wrong thing to do to go ahead with this strike, and particularly to go ahead with the withdrawal of emergency care - that is not right.”

Later the Prime Minister's official spokeswoman said Mr Cameron was being “kept updated on the situation”.

Asked whether the PM thought public support for the strikers was fading, the spokeswoman said: “If you look at the impact on patients today and the concerns about risk, I think people are asking 'is this an appropriate and proportionate response to take?'

“On some of these issues at the heart of this, like the issue of Saturday pay, junior doctors earn more than ambulance workers, nurses, healthcare assistants, others in the public sector like police officers and firemen who also work on a Saturday.

“I think it's important that people understand that the contract that is being introduced on average will lead to an increase in basic pay of 13.5 per cent and will not impose longer hours.”