HOSPITAL bosses were urged to stand up to political pressure today, after more than 20 asked junior doctors to return to work over patient safety fears on the first day of their six-day strike.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said it refused to approve the requests because NHS England and some trusts were refusing to provide evidence that they have “exhausted” all other sources of staffing before recalling medics.

In a letter to the chief executive of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, BMA chairman Professor Philip Banfield said: “This refusal to provide the information necessary to take well-informed decisions is fundamentally undermining the derogation process as we are being asked to take decisions about our members’ right to strike without the requisite information.