MINISTERS have declared “open season” on doctors, with NHS trusts threatening medics with intimidatory “welfare checks” ahead of their five-day strike on Wednesday.

The government is behind a campaign of harassment against resident doctor members of the British Medical Association (BMA) by hospital trusts in London, NHS campaigners believe.

Today BMA London region revealed that it has multiple reports of NHS trusts in the capital saying they “intend to call BMA resident doctors every day of the strike as ‘welfare checks’ and to ask if they’re striking.”

The union said that doctors are under no obligation to answer such calls or divulge an intention to strike, advising them not to respond.

“Attempts beyond just asking, such as conduct which is intended to intimidate or coerce doctors not to strike, should be reported to your local BMA representatives immediately,” it added.

Keep Our NHS Public co-founder John Lister told the Morning Star: “It does seem like the government has declared open season on the resident doctors and given the green light to any harassment you can get. 

“There’s been a very hostile statement from Jim Mackey, who is CEO of NHS England… I suppose it’s no great surprise. If they really think that’s a good way to get a good relations with resident doctors, you just wonder [about] their management skills generally.”

Mr Mackey called the strikes “cruel and calculated” earlier this month.

Hospitals face nearly half the medical workforce going out on strike during the busy winter period after BMA members voted by 83 per cent to 17 per cent to press ahead with their five-day walkout.

The results of the three-day poll and its 65 per cent turnout were announced on Monday amid record levels of flu cases in hospitals in England for this time of year. 

The union has been calling for pay restoration in real terms to pre-austerity levels and for urgent action to tackle the huge shortage of specialist training places for doctors within the NHS.

Pay rises of 28.9 per cent over the past three years have been largely negated by inflation and thousands of doctors are leaving the NHS and Britain for jobs abroad.

Today Mother of the House Diane Abbott MP said Health Secretary Wes Streeting was “incapable” of resolving the strikes.

Following the rejection of his offer of a fast expansion of specialist training posts as well as covering out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees, but no extra pay, she said: “[PM Sir Keir] Starmer should sit down with the BMA and settle this dispute before strike action begins. 

“Streeting is not capable of it and the NHS urgently needs a resolution.”

Dr Lister added: “I’m not sure Starmer is either. He’s been making equally gung-ho statements against the action, again without any obvious understanding of that the issues are.

“I think the thing that really is motivating a lot of them is this gap in jobs and progressions.

“The waste involved of having qualified doctors but then having them leave to drive Ubers and in other places is just so obscene at the time we have these waiting lists and all these delays at A&E.”

Today, the BMA rejected claims that patients would die as a result of the resident doctors’ strike.

Deputy chairman of its resident doctors’ committee Dr Shivam Sharma told LBC radio: “I would completely disagree with that, and I want to be evidence-based — we know that senior colleagues, consultants will be covering this strike action.

“And we know that studies have shown that mortality rates do not increase, they stay the same, if not decrease during strike action because we have those experienced senior consultants that are covering.

“And actually, what’s dangerous for patients is continuing down this trend where doctors continue to leave, patients aren’t getting the care that they deserve, and doctors are feeling that they’re in a system that is setting them up to fail.”

He said that the feedback the union received was that the government’s offer “doesn’t go far enough on both jobs and pay.”

Mr Streeting said: “These strikes are self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous.

“The entire focus of my department and the NHS team will now be on getting the health service through the double whammy of flu and strikes.

“We have already vaccinated 17 million people, 170,000 more than last year, and we will be working intensively with front-line leaders to prepare for the coming disruption.”