Streeting says NHS ‘coping’ during resident doctors’ strike but faces difficult recovery over Christmas – UK politics live

Five-day industrial action is due to end tomorrow, and health secretary says talks will resume in new yearIn this analysis piece, the Guardian’s health policy editor, Denis Campbell, looks at the history of these strikes and considers how likely it is for a settlement to be reached after the 14th walkout by resident doctors in a long-running pay dispute. Here is an extract:Streeting says the British Medical Association is being unreasonable; the BMA, the doctors union, blames him for not rewarding medics properly for their vital work.After eight strikes under the Tories and now three under Labour, the prospects of a settlement look as distant as at any point in the last 33 months. “At this rate, this is going to drag on and on and on all next year unless something changes. It’s never-ending,” said one NHS official. Continue reading...