JUNIOR doctors in England are to stage a fresh round of strikes next month after talks with the government failed to resolve a bitter row over pay.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said today that a 96-hour walkout will take place for shifts starting between 6.59am on Tuesday April 11 and the same time the following Saturday.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay has failed to make any “credible offer,” the union said, accusing the government of not being serious about resolving the dispute.

Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairmen of the BMA junior doctor committee, said: “It is with disappointment and great frustration that we must announce this new industrial action.

“The government has dragged its feet at every opportunity. It has not presented any credible offer and is refusing to accept that there is any case for pay restoration, describing our central ask as ‘unrealistic’ and ‘unreasonable.’

“Even yesterday, they continued to add new, unacceptable preconditions to talks, instead of getting on and trying to find a resolution.

“We therefore have no confidence that without further action these negotiations can be successful.

“This situation is entirely of the government’s own making.”

Junior doctor members of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) will strike on the same days.

The union, which represents about 600 junior doctors, accused the government of refusing to drop preconditions for talks on resolving the dispute.

HCSA president Dr Naru Narayanan said: “HCSA wrote to Steve Barclay last week warning that his preconditions presented an impassable barrier to us getting round the table to find a resolution.

“It is hugely disappointing that the government has seen fit to ignore the overwhelming support among junior doctors for this dispute driven by year after year of real-terms pay cuts.”

NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor called the strike announcement “hugely disappointing” and said that the action would have “a significant impact” on patient care.

NHS Providers deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery said: “The prospect of a 96-hour strike by junior doctors will ring alarm bells for trust leaders up and down the country.

“It would immediately follow a four-day bank holiday weekend, meaning demand will have piled up before the strike even begins on April 11. There will also be no exemptions.

“This threatens the biggest disruption from NHS walkouts so far. There should be no doubt about the scale of the impact on patients, staff and the NHS. No-one wants this.”