The Health Secretary has apologised to patients as doctors began a five-day walkout in England in an ongoing row over jobs and pay.
Wes Streeting said the Government did âeverything we couldâ to avoid the strike, including holding 11th-hour talks with British Medical Association (BMA) officials on Tuesday.
He said health officials are doing âeverything we canâ to minimise the impact of the strike, but warned patients will face disruption as the walkout comes at the âworst timeâ for the NHS.
Hospitals are dealing with rising flu cases and other winter illnesses.
Mr Streeting told broadcasters: âWe did everything we could to avert these strikes and to stop strike action from taking place.
âWhen we came into Government, we recognised what resident doctors were saying about pay, and thatâs why they received a 28.9% pay rise from this Government.
âOf course, weâre willing to talk to them about what we do in future years.
âI think people can see that Iâve tried my absolute best to avoid these strikes on what is the worst time for the NHS.
âIâm really sorry to patients for the disruption that is happening as a result.â
He said the Government met with BMA representatives on Tuesday to see if âeven at the 11th hour, we could avert the strikesâ, but added: âAfter constructive discussions, we still werenât able to persuade the BMA either to come into negotiations or indeed to delay strikes to January.â
After meeting with health leaders on Wednesday morning, Mr Streeting added: âOur entire focus now is on keeping patients safe, particularly over the next five days of strike action, but also through what is the peak period for the NHS.
âWe are doing everything we can to minimise the disruption. There is going to be disruption.â
He said patients in need of healthcare should come forward as usual.
Hospital leaders have called for resident doctors and the Government to start talks with external mediators, saying the dispute has reached an âimpasseâ.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, told Times Radio: âWhatâs so frustrating is that this strike feels no closer to being resolved than it ever has been, and itâs getting more and more acrimonious as well.
âWe seem to have reached an impasse â it seems quite incredulous to us that the Government who put such a good offer on the table last week could have been met with such a resounding ballot from the doctors saying âwe donât agreeâ.
âIt feels like we need to do something to unlock this, and if external mediation is the thing that will unlock it, then please, can we get on and do it?
âBecause there is a small window after this strike where before the residents reballot, and where you could say you donât need to reballot because weâve actually managed to reach an agreement, and we need to get to that point.â
Conciliation service Acas said it is âwell prepared and ready to help with the disputeâ.
Kevin Rowan, Acas director of dispute resolution, said: âAcas is in contact with all the parties involved in the resident doctorsâ dispute.
âThey are aware of the value that third party assistance can bring, and that we have a team of experts who are well prepared and ready to help with the dispute.â
He added the service is voluntary âwhich means we can only hold formal conciliation talks when all the parties in dispute agree that the time is right for conciliationâ.
The BMA has already granted some medics permission to leave the picket line and return to work in the maternity unit at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust due to âunique and difficult circumstancesâ.
Hospitals have been told to aim to deliver 95% of usual activity during the strike, though health leaders have conceded this could be âmore challenging due to the onset of winter pressures and rising fluâ.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the resident doctors committee at the BMA, said: âIt is well past the time for ministers to come up with a genuinely long-term plan. If they can simply provide a clear route to responsibly raise pay over a number of years, and enough genuinely new jobs instead of recycled ones, then there need not be any more strikes for the remainder of this Government.â
The five-day strike, which started at 7am on Wednesday, is the 14th by resident doctors since 2023.
Shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said he has heard from a patient who is âworried for her lifeâ because of the walkout.
He told Sky News the strike is âreally irresponsibleâ amid surging cases of flu.
He added: âWeâre likely to see about 9,000 appointments a day being cancelled, and that has real-life consequences.
âThese are real people who are expecting to have treatment that theyâve been preparing for for some time. Weâve been getting messages from all over the country.
âA woman contacted to say her cancer treatment is not going to happen over these next five days, and in her own words, she says, âIâm worried for my lifeâ.
âThatâs the thing that really worries me.â
