Next week’s strike by resident doctors in England may be averted after ministers offered the British Medical Association a fresh deal.The doctors’ union has agreed to put the offer to members over the coming days – if they support it, the five-day walkout starting on Wednesday 17 December could be called off.The offer includes a rapid expansion of specialist training posts as well as covering out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees.But it does not include any promises of extra pay. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been adamant he will not negotiate on that, given resident doctors – the new name for junior doctors – have had pay rises of nearly 30% over the past three years.The deal also includes emergency legislation being introduced so that the NHS can prioritise doctors who have studied and worked in the UK for speciality training posts that resident doctors move into in year three of their training.This year there was intense competition for these roles with 30,000 applicants going for 10,000 posts. Some of those will have been doctors from abroad who under current rules have to be judged on the same basis as UK doctors.The number of speciality posts will also increase by 4,000 – with the first 1,000 of those available from next year.The BMA will now consult resident doctor members in England on whether this offer would be sufficient to call off next week’s strike. A survey of members will run …
