Health Secretary invites junior doctors in for pay talks in last-ditch bid to avert next week's 72 hour- strike

Junior doctors have been invited for pay talks as the Government makes a last ditch bid to avoid next week's 72-hour strike. Health Secretary said he had proposed negotiations 'on the same basis other health unions accepted', after planned industrial action by tens of thousands of key workers was suspended when the Government agreed to discuss pay for this year.

Unions representing ambulance workers, physiotherapists, nurses and midwives have been in talks with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) since Tuesday. But the discussions have not involved junior doctors in the British Medical Association (BMA), who are still due to walk out for 72 hours on Monday.

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Mr Barclay tweeted on Friday night: "I’ve written to @BMA_JuniorDocs inviting them for formal pay talks on the same basis other health unions accepted, including calling off next week's strike. Let's have a constructive dialogue to make the NHS a better place to work and ensure we deliver the care patients need."

But, the BMA junior doctors faction noted the Health Secretary did not attend talks on Friday. Responding to Mr Barclay's tweet, the @BMA_JuniorDocs Twitter account posted: "Just a reminder that we had a meeting today which @SteveBarclay failed to attend…

"Without any credible negotiations we have no choice but to strike on Monday and continue our fight for #PayRestoration."

Nearly 40,000 junior doctors voted to take industrial action in the BMA ballot. Dr Rob Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairmen of the BMA's junior doctors committee, told The Times that doctors were willing to keep striking until they got 'full pay restoration' — a 35% rise – and