Junior doctors in England will strike for five days from July 13 in what is thought to be the longest walkout in the history of the NHS.
The five-day walkout will take place between 7am on July 13 and 7am on July 18, the British Medical Association announced today.
It comes as new polling suggests many junior doctors are being tempted by job offers from abroad.
A poll of 2,000 medics saw 53% report receiving more job offers in the last four months since industrial action.
The BMA claims the government of South Australia even paid for trucks to be sent to junior doctor picket lines carrying job adverts offering improved pay if those doctors emigrated.
The planned walkout marks an escalation in the bitter dispute over pay, and follows a 72-hour strike last week.
It is likely to mean disruption for patients with planned appointments and operations hit by the walkouts.
Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said: “It has been almost a week since the last round of strikes finished but not once have we heard from Rishi Sunak or Steve Barclay in terms of reopening negotiations since their collapse of our talks and cancelling all scheduled meetings a month ago.
"What better indication of how committed they are to ending this dispute could we have?"
The union slammed the Government for refusing to discuss its demands for a 35% pay hike to restore wages to pre-austerity levels.
The doctors said: “We are announcing the longest single walkout by doctors in the NHS’s history – but this is not a record that needs to go into the history books.
"Even now the Government can avert our action by coming to the table with a credible offer on pay restoration."
Downing Street said talks would not restart until the union called off its industrial action.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "It puts patient safety and our efforts to cut the waiting lists at risk.
"It is extremely disappointing. In meetings the Government had with junior doctors we made a fair and reasonable opening offer, we were discussing both pay and non pay issues, but they chose to end the talks by announcing new strike dates.
"Obviously if they cancel the damaging and destructive strikes and show willingness to move away from their starting positions and find a way forward then we will be able to proceed with those discussions."
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the "hugely disappointing" decision would impact on patient care.
"Leaders will be anxious about again having to find staff to cover another walkout, this time across five days, but will pull out all the stops to ensure patient safety is maintained," he said.
He said the cost of industrial action was "stacking up" for NHS trusts, adding: “That’s to say nothing on how it affects patients, many of whom will face the prospect of having an operation of appointment cancelled or delayed.
"This is not only a worry to them but has potential health implications; a postponed operation can lead to complications further down the line, often resulting in patients seeking help from primary or acute care to help manage an issue that was wholly avoidable."
It comes as it emerged that nurses could end their NHS strikes next week as a ballot falls short of the turnout required to continue their campaign of industrial action.
Turnout for the Royal College of Nursing ballot will reportedly miss the 50% minimum threshold required legally to extend their strike mandate for another six months.
The ballot will end at midnight tonight and the result will be officially announced on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The move will anger some nurses unhappy with the below-inflation 5% rise granted for 2023/24 and also leave striking doctors isolated as they continue their campaign for a better deal after years of real terms pay cuts.
RCN members voted narrowly to reject the current deal by 54% to 46% but then needed to re-ballot to extend their mandate for strikes.
This week General Secretary Pat Cullen blamed rules requiring a postal vote for struggles to reach the threshold.
If the vote falls short she is expected to intensify this criticism and call for online voting in future ballots, and threaten strikes in 2024 if next year's pay deal falls short of expectations.
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