The NHS Confederation has written to Steve Barclay and the British Medical Association (BMA), the main doctors’ union, asking them to accept the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service as an honest broker that could set up talks to end the row.
It emerged on Wednesday that the BMA had begun talking to Acas to explore the possibility of it ending the impasse. The confederation’s initiative and the union’s decision to talk to Acas has put pressure on Barclay to agree. It is unclear if he will do so, however, and the Department of Health and Social Care did not immediately reply to questions.
The confederation represents the 220 NHS trusts in England and the health service chiefs that run them. It has estimated that this week’s four-day strike by junior or trainee medics will lead to as many as 350,000 appointments and operations being rescheduled.
Full article in The Guardian, 12 April 2023