Junior doctors in England have announced a new five-day walkout in July – the longest yet – over pay.
The strike will take place between 07:00 on Thursday 13 July and 07:00 on Tuesday 18 July.
The British Medical Association (BMA) union, which represents doctors, said a government offer of a 5% rise was not “credible” and that pay has not kept up with inflation.
The government says the pay offer is “fair and reasonable”.
The BMA has been asking for a 35% increase to make up for 15 years of below-inflation rises.
This will be the fourth strike by junior doctors since the pay dispute began.
Thousands of planned appointments will need to be postponed while more senior doctors fill in to provide emergency care.
Co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: “We are announcing the longest single walkout by doctors in the NHS’s history – but this is not a record that needs to go into the history books.
“Even now the government can avert our action by coming to the table with a credible offer on pay restoration.”
Junior doctors make up around half of all hospital doctors in England and a quarter of all doctors working in GP surgeries. The BMA represents over 46,000 junior doctors in the UK.
In Scotland, junior doctors have been offered a new 14.5% pay rise over a two-year period after negotiations with the Scottish government.
BMA Scotland said it would now consult its members, who voted in favour of strike action earlier this month, on the offer.
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