Hospitals coping well with doctor strike so far - NHS boss

The NHS is coping well with the doctors' strike in England, the head of the health service says. In a letter to health managers, NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey said while it was still early days in the six-day strike, which began on Tuesday, the NHS was in "as good a place as we could hope" after the first day. Resident doctors – the new name for junior doctors – are taking part in their 15th walkout in the long-running pay dispute. The British Medical Association said the strike was "regrettable", but blamed the government for failing to put forward a credible offer. Resident doctors make up nearly half the medical workforce – although a third of them are not BMA members. To cope, hospitals have drafted senior doctors in to provide cover in emergency and urgent care. But that has meant some pre-planned operations and treatments have had to be cancelled, although the NHS said the majority were still taking place. In his letter, Sir Jim said it was "tough for staffing picking up the strain" and the walkout had been "deliberately timed to cause havoc" after the Easter weekend. "I know how disruptive and challenging it's been for many hospitals to manage it and fill their