CONTINUED strike action from resident doctors has been branded "disappointing" and "deeply concerning," by a Cumberland Council health boss.
Resident doctors of the British Medical Association announced a six month extension of its strike action on Monday.
In an interview with LBC Radio, Dr Thomas Cheliotis-James, deputy chairman of the BMA said the the dispute is over "jobs and pay."
He said: "We’re in the ridiculous situation where we’re turning away tens of thousands of fully trained doctors from working in the NHS, and we’re in a position where we’re facing down real-terms pay cuts yet again."
Councillor Justin McDermott, Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Communities at Cumberland Council said that the announcement is "deeply concerning for our communities in Cumbria, where the NHS already struggles with persistent workforce shortages and long waits for vital healthcare services."
He said: "It is disappointing that the British Medical Association has chosen to pursue further disruption rather than engage constructively with the progress already made to support doctors and expand NHS capacity."
But Dr Cheliotis-James said: "We’re currently in discussions, trying to come up with an appropriate long-term solution for this – that’s what our aim is, not just to go out on strike."
Coun McDermott pointed to the turnout of 53 per cent on the ballot as evidence that support for industrial action is waning in the medical community.
But Dr Cheliotis-James blamed "the nature of the postal ballot as well as rotational training.
Coun McDermott said that BMA strikes will "inevitably worsen delays to diagnostics, outpatient appointments and routine procedures that local people depend on."
He said: "Cumbria’s rural and coastal communities already face some of the widest gaps in healthcare provision in the country. Residents experience longer travel times to appointments, ongoing shortages of GPs and consultants, and sustained pressure on A&E departments that leave patients waiting far too long."
But Dr Jack Fletcher, Chairman of the BMA resident doctors committee indicated that strike action may yet be averted.
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He said: "In recent weeks, the Government has shown an improved approach in tone compared with the name-calling we saw late last year.
"A deal is there to be done: a new jobs package and an offer raising pay fairly over several years can be worked out through good will on both sides, in the interests of patients, staff and the whole NHS."
The Department for Health and Social Care has said it will continue to work with the BMA to address the issues doctors are facing.
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