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Rob Webster, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, comments on doctors’ planned NHS strike action this week.

"A negotiated agreement between the BMA and the NHS offered the best way to address the concerns of doctors and meet the needs of the NHS. It is bitterly disappointing that talks ended without such an agreement. We are now in a cycle of escalation of action that will only damage the NHS and is affecting patient care at a time when the service is under unprecedented pressure. Everyone should question whether this is appropriate and proportionate.

“Our members are doing all they can to minimise disruption to patients and keep them safe, working with local staff and local teams of doctors. The efforts of staff and leaders across the NHS to manage the next few days shows how committed we all are to the service. That commitment should be recognised by everyone and used to find a way through this dispute that minimises the long term damage to relationships that future action will bring.”