Senior medics in England say more resident doctor strikes would be futile | NHS

Six senior figures in England’s medical profession have criticised potential strikes by resident doctors as “a futile gesture” that will harm patients and help those who oppose the NHS.

The move is the first public evidence of the significant unease many senior doctors feel about the possibility of their junior colleagues staging a new campaign of industrial action in England.

In a letter to the Guardian the six medics and former medics say resident – formerly junior – doctors’ demand for a 29% pay rise is unaffordable, given the government has “no spare money”.

The signatories include Sir John Oldham, a health adviser to several governments, Dr Clare Gerada, a former chair of the Royal College of GPs who also served on the BMA’s ruling council, and the public health…