Union leaders from a militant standpoint are advising doctors that they are NOT required to inform their NHS trust about any plans to strike, raising concerns about the safety of patients.
It will make it harder for trusts to plan cover to keep hospitals running.
Resident doctors, formerly known as junior, are walking out for five days at the end of July as they demand a 29 per cent pay rise.
Dr. Ross Nieuwoudt, who co-chairs the British Medical Association’s committee for resident doctors, claimed that trusts are attempting to “mislead” doctors into sharing their strike intentions.
He blasted a cancer trust which told staff it was a mandatory requirement to report action to their team each day of the strike.
“This is absolutely unacceptable,” he wrote on X. “You do NOT have a legal responsibility to disclose whether you are striking.
“Trusts will attempt to deceive or compel you to tell them. If they do, let a BMA rep know.”
Legally union members do not have to tell their employer if they are going to strike.
However, insiders indicated that the majority of resident doctors did inform their trusts of any strike actions, enabling hospitals to ensure they have sufficient personnel to continue operations smoothly.
One insider said: “It shows they don’t give a damn about patient safety.”
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital bosses, said: “Given the huge disruption and impact on patient care caused by strikes it is good practice for staff to make their intentions known.
“That way hospitals plan with the best information so that fewer patients have their care cancelled and that reduces the amount of harm that the strikes will cause.”
Shadow health secretary Edward Argar said: “This is potentially a serious threat to patient safety.
“It’s shocking that we don’t even know how many doctors will walk out, and hospitals are being left in the dark.
“That kind of chaos puts patients and lives at risk. These strikes are irresponsible, unnecessary and wrong.”
One of Britain’s most loved TV doctors Lord Robert Winston resigned from the union this week slamming their “highly dangerous” strikes.
The 84-year-old professor, who pioneered IVF treatments in the UK, quit after more than 60 years as a member of the BMA.
The last round of doctors’ strikes cost the NHS £1.7 billion and led to 1.5 million cancellations.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the Commons the average first-year doctor earns £43,275 – “significantly more than the average full-time worker in this country”.
Some resident doctors on a 40-hour week, including a full “on-call” rota, can earn more than £100,000 a year, according to analysis by the Telegraph.
A BMA spokesperson said: “Doctors intending to take strike action are under no obligation to inform their employers of those intentions. But with nine out of 10 of our members who voted in the ballot, voting in support of strike action, it is reasonable they will participate in the strikes if they are due to be working and trusts should plan accordingly.”
