HEALTH SECRETARY Wes Streeting put himself on the warpath with the BMA union today, saying he has “had it” while accusing doctors of “juvenile delinquency” and being “moaning minnies” as they prepare Christmas strikes.

His tantrum came as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) warned that a corridor care crisis could be repeated in English hospitals this winter.

BMA council chair Dr Tom Dolphin said: “It’s disappointing that, despite his comments about wanting to reach an agreement to call off this month’s strikes, the Secretary of State spent the morning making disparaging remarks about our members in the media rather than getting around the table with us.

“We’re surprised at the tone he’s taking, as we’re very much looking forward to meeting with him and his department to settle the various disputes for the good of both doctors and patients. We’re ready to meet him any time.”

Resident doctors in England will strike for five days from December 17 in their ongoing row with the government over training and pay.

The BMA is also in a formal dispute with the government over it forcing all GP practices in England to adopt online appointment systems during core opening hours.

Today Mr Streeting told Sky News: “Whether it’s the rhetoric and the behaviour of the BMA around general practice, whether it is yet another round of unnecessary strike action being proposed by resident doctors who’ve had a 28.9 per cent pay rise, we’ve seen an outbreak in the British Medical Association of juvenile delinquency, and it is irresponsible, because we know that the NHS is under real pressure.”

On the online appointment changes, he chastised the BMA’s leadership for being “sat in the corner like moaning minnies, when actually their members are doing a really good job working with the government to improve patient care and experience.”

BMA’s general practice committee for England deputy chairman Dr David Wrigley said: “We are not standing in the way of progress, but it is standing up for patient safety, as many GP practices are being deluged with online requests, and the software simply does not filter out routine from urgent requests.

“GPs will embrace new technology, but only when it is safe to do so and with nearly all GP practices now offering online access for patients, the government has merely increased the potential for patient safety issues to arise.

“Without appropriate safeguards, this government is ignoring the very real concerns that GPs have about this system, and it is putting patients at risk of harm.”

The BMA has been warning that many resident doctors are opting to work abroad for better pay and conditions amid huge competition for specialist training places.

Inflation has negated most of the nearly 30 per cent pay rise they have received over the past three years. 

A further 26 per cent pay increase over the next few years is needed to meet their long-running demands for real-terms pay restoration to 2008 levels, according to the union.

They will ballot to extend their strike mandate until August from December 8, following strike action by resident doctors between November 14 and November 19, and other previous strikes.

Keep Our NHS Public co-chair Dr Tony O’’Sullivan said: “Streeting throws around insults at resident doctors and the BMA, but compare his £225,000 donations from private health related sources since 2023 with the hourly basic pay of foundation year doctors starting at £19.91. 

“His warning that there may be corridor care in A&Es this winter is wildly out of step with the reality of the year-round dangerous corridor care the RCN warn of. We need a health secretary who listens to NHS staff warnings and responds responsibly.”

The RCN warned that there has been “insufficient urgency” to tackle corridor care in hospitals in England.

Earlier this year the union set out how patients are being treated in “distressing and undignified” circumstances, risking their safety.

It said there has been recognition of the issue by the government and health leaders, but it warned there is a “potential for a repeat of the unacceptable scale of corridor care” as the NHS enters its busy winter period.