NHS bosses are bracing for the worst winter yet as the fallout from a year of strikes continues.
The survey by NHS Providers, which represents trusts, found that eight in ten chiefs (80 per cent) say this winter will be harsher than last year – a significant rise from the 66 per cent of chiefs who said last year This will be the biggest winter of the year. a challenge they have ever faced.
While ongoing strikes by trainee doctors and consultants have been suspended while the British Medical Association (BMA) continues to negotiate with the government over pay rises, renewed strikes will help progress progress in reducing delays for patients, health campaigners have warned. .
The director of Midlands NHS Trust said: “There are concerns that there may be a return to industrial action, particularly coordinated industrial action between junior doctors and consultants.”
“The cumulative effect of this year’s strike has been extremely disruptive for patients and very worrying for NHS staff. We just hope the negotiations can be completed in a timely manner.”
More than a million appointments and procedures have been postponed this year due to strikes, costing the health system more than £1 billion. Trust leaders said further strikes would impact their ability to meet targets to reduce backlogs and delays in elective and emergency care, which would negatively impact services across the NHS.
The waiting list for non-urgent treatment has reached almost 7.8 million people, with delays increasing again by 18 months, the latest figures from NHS England show.
Rishi Sunak made cutting NHS waiting times one of his top five promises at the start of the year – a promise that has now been “downgraded”. Hospital chiefs have now been told to prioritize cost control and instead make extra efforts to deliver on the Prime Minister’s pledge to cut waiting times.
In a letter to health chiefs, NHS England said the “elective recovery target” would be “reduced” for the remainder of the financial year. He also called on local leaders to develop new plans “that reflect the impact of reduced breeding targets.”
The financial impact of the strikes is reflected in growing concerns among hospital directors about their budgets. Three in four trust chiefs (76 per cent) say their financial position will be worse than last year, according to NHS providers’ annual report on the state of the sector.
Cost-containment measures for now include delaying plans to increase bed capacity, delaying hiring of staff to fill gaps in the workforce and reducing investment in community and mental health services.
One hospital executive called savings targets “completely unrealistic” and another said delivery expectations across the board were “difficult to achieve and maintain” in the current climate.
There are also concerns about the unstoppable rise in demand for mental health and learning disabilities services in the wake of the pandemic, as well as fears about the impact of the cost of living crisis.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “If there are no further industrial action, the challenge we now face is to ensure that the NHS achieves financial balance and covers the impact of the cost of industrial action taken by the NHS.” [health department] Budgets.”
He said lowering the state’s average elective care goal from 105 percent to 103 percent “will likely mean a slowdown in elective activity, but we’ll still have to wait and see what the impact will be.”
A DHSC spokesman said: “We recognize the challenges the NHS will face in the coming months, which is why we have begun preparing for winter earlier than ever before.”
“We have already invested billions of dollars to improve productivity, plus a further £800 million this winter to support acute, maternal and newborn care, tackle the world’s longest cancer wait times and backlog of delays, and tackle rising redundancies to reduce his”.
“Despite the strikes, 18-month waiting times have fallen by more than 90 percent since their peak in September 2021. The NHS has also met its target of delivering 10,000 hospital beds to homes by the autumn and we are working to get 800 new ambulances to market. and create 5,000 additional hospital beds.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.