Outgoing doctors' leader cautions against more industrial action Doctors were warned they would lose patients' trust if they took more industrial action over changes to their pensions. Doctors will lose patients' trust if they take more industrial action over changes to their pensions and should seek "a sensible way out of the dispute," the outgoing leader of the profession has warned. Dr Hamish Meldrum, the chairman of the British Medical Association (BMA), urged doctors to seek fresh negotiations with ministers rather than repeating last week's go-slow, which meant tens of thousands of patients could not have a planned operation or appointment with a specialist or GP. "Though we demonstrated a powerful and united voice last Thursday, while also delivering on our essential commitment to maintain patient safety, no one should be triumphalist, no one should be rushing to repeat it or escalate it," Meldrum told the union's annual conference in Bournemouth. "Let's always remember who we are fighting and be absolutely clear that the fight is not with our patients, not with the public, not even with NHS employers," he added. His remarks may be taken as a riposte to his likely successor, the BMA's hospital consultants' leader, Dr Mark Porter, who last week said the union should consider escalating its dispute over pensions by reducing services to a skeleton service similar to that which operates on Christmas Day. Even though it was "a disgrace" and "a betrayal of trust" that the government had insisted on overhauling the NHS pension scheme just four years after it had been made sustainable, Meldrum said, doctors would be making a mistake if they yet again inconvenienced patients. Doctors should instead learn from the example of other health unions, which have opposed the pensions changes but appear likely to reluctantly accept plans that will force many health workers to contribute more and work longer in order to receive their pensions, Meldrum added. Let's also remember that while other unions are angry, other health workers feel betrayed and have expressed their support, most of them seem, albeit reluctantly, to accept the new arrangements. "I understand and share your anger but we must not let that anger prevent us from trying to find a sensible way out of this dispute," Meldrum told the 500 delegates at the BMA gathering. He added: "I urge all parties to think very, very carefully about the next steps, because there has to be a resolution, eventually, and the longer it takes, the more polarised both sides become, the more difficult it will be to reach that resolution and the more damage we risk to our trusted relationship with our patients and the public." Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, made clear last week in the wake of the doctors' industrial action that ministers would not be swayed by it. On Thursday afternoon this week the BMA's ruling council will elect a new chairman of the organisation and then debate what to do next to pursue its campaign against the new pension arrangements that ministers are imposing. The union's legal mandate arising from last month's ballot of members means they can call one or more further days of action, but council members are divided over the wisdom of doing so.