Resident Doctors: Industrial Action

Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone Excerpts

Wednesday 16th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone (Con)]

My Lords, I endorse the comments of my noble friend Lord Kamall about recognition of those doctors who have decided not to take action. There can be no way that doctors abandoning patients is compatible with the Hippocratic oath they have taken. For 17 years as chancellor of a university, I have listened to doctors on qualification saying that they are taking their Hippocratic oath and that they will give priority to patients and do no harm. Taking five days of industrial action does a great deal of harm to the patients and, of course, to others in the profession who have to pick up the load—the nurses, the consultants and others.

I endorse the great disappointment expressed by the noble Lord, Lord Stoneham, that the report by the noble Baroness, Lady Casey, is going to be so slow in arriving, given that it is so essential to the next steps in the health service.

I wonder whether the Minister could come back on the point I made to her last week about resident doctors taking industrial action and then signing on as locums at a premium rate in another health authority or hospital, whether in the NHS or otherwise. Resident doctors are doing the profession enormous harm. Extraordinarily, we still have incredibly high entry standards for doctors. It remains one of the most popular and sought-after professions for school leavers. I take with a pinch of salt this idea that they are all leaving. Lots of doctors go on rotation to America or Australia and to get experience around the world, but I still think that, thank goodness, they regard working in Britain as a worthwhile activity and profession. But the damage these resident doctors are going to do to that trust and respect is enormous.

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I thank the noble Baroness for her comments and the background. I shall particularly pick up on the issue of moonlighting, which she has raised before. As a point of reference, during the industrial action in 2022-24, it was picked up. There were isolated and anecdotal incidents of this behaviour. It is difficult to get accurate information, and with the current systems in place there is no clear or easy way to monitor the practice. However, resident doctors moonlighting while on strike is clearly unacceptable and in clear breach of the GMC code of practice. As I have said before, it is up to the employers to take any reports of this very seriously, and I am sure they will.

I echo the noble Baroness’s comments about the medical profession in this country. We have some extraordinary people working in the whole of the NHS, not just the doctors. It is a phenomenal organisation, and we believe it is our absolute duty to do everything we can to protect it and preserve it for the future, and to keep it true to its principles of delivering care free at the point of delivery and reaching everyone that needs it.