Cost impact of resident doctor strikes terrible way to start new financial year

Responding to the news that BMA Resident Doctors Committee (RDC) has rejected the government's offer and called for six days of strike action in April, Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation speaking on behalf of the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers (which from April will become The NHS Alliance) said: 
   
"Health and care leaders will be incredibly disappointed that the BMA Resident Doctors Committee (RDC) have rejected the government's offer and called strike action in April.
  
"These strikes not only cause appointments to be cancelled and patients to have to wait longer for tests, treatment and surgery, but also cost up to £300m each time - money that would be better spent on patient care. They also undermine the capacity NHS leaders and their teams have to modernise and transform services. 
  
"The NHS has been making good progress in improving performance and boosting productivity, and we've seen that reflected in today's latest British Social Attitudes survey which shows a decrease in the level of dissatisfaction with services.
  
"We urge the RDC and government to find a way to reach agreement and avoid the significant impact these strikes will have on patients and services, which will pile more financial pressure on services which are already making large-scale savings.
  
"With the five-day walkout last July estimated to cost the service £300 million, these strikes will be a big hit to budgets and a terrible way to start the financial year."