00:00Resident doctors have been striking across the capital, despite the health secretary having asked them to postpone industrial action until after Christmas.
00:09The doctors' union said it wanted new training places created in hospitals rather than existing posts being reused.
00:19NHS leaders have warned that some pre-booked services could be disrupted during the strike as hospitals face additional pressure from a rise in flu cases and other winter illnesses.
00:31The British Medical Association said it would work with the NHS managers across London and the rest of the UK to maintain patient safety in hospitals and other parts of the capital's health service as well.
00:43At Prime Minister's question, Sir Keir Starmer said he had urged resident doctors not to abandon patients and to work with the government to improve conditions and rebuild the NHS, including services in London.
00:56Here's what Health Secretary Wes Streeting had to say.
01:00We did everything we could to avert these strikes, even meeting for hours with BMA officials yesterday to see if even at the 11th hour we could avert the strikes after constructive discussions.
01:11We still weren't able to persuade the BMA either to come into negotiations or indeed to delay strikes to January, as I had offered.
01:21Our entire focus now is on keeping patients safe, particularly over the next five days of strike action, but also through what is the peak period for the NHS.
01:32I'm enormously grateful to frontline NHS staff who are there, ready, waiting to see patients.
01:38If you need medical assistance, please come forward.
01:42If it's an accident or an emergency, by all means, use A&E services.
01:48For other things that are not accidents or emergencies, but for which people might need medical attention, NHS 111 is a great resource that can direct people to appropriate local services that are there to help.
02:01Your party founder and former Labour leader, of course, Jeremy Corbyn, was present in London to show his support for the striking doctors.
02:10Now, the other place to be, I'm here to support our doctors who are taking these strikes out to try and ensure they get decent pay, but also to ensure that there are jobs available, there are career paths available for the young doctors who are coming out of complications.
02:25And I think they've taken this action after, obviously, a lot of thought and a very large vote within the VMA.
02:33And I hope the government is listening and will start a meeting straight away with the VMA.
02:37I spoke to some who, actually some who've come from my area, they've come from other parts of London, and they feel very disappointed that they haven't been offered some kind of settlement from the government.
02:50And they feel that their action will help to encourage the government to come back to negotiate with the government.
Comments