More than 86,000 appointments were canceled in England last week due to strikes by trainee doctors and hospital dentists, according to the NHS.
Data released on Wednesday showed 86,329 inpatient and outpatient appointments were postponed due to the latest round of strikes over a wage dispute.
The total is likely to be significantly higher as not all NHS trusts provided data on the number of appointments cancelled.
This brings the number of appointments postponed since the health strike began last December to more than 1.2 million.
The strike by trainee doctors and trainee dentists at the hospital began at 7am on Wednesday 20 December and ended at the same time on Saturday 23 December.
The majority of appointments, 31,805, had been rescheduled as of December 20, according to NHS England.
London was the worst-hit region, with 25,366 appointments rescheduled.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of the NHS, said: “The latest round of holiday strikes has placed significantly greater pressure on an already stretched health system.
“The three-day strike, which ended two days before Christmas, resulted in the postponement of almost 86,000 additional appointments for patients requiring medical attention.
“Operational activities not only impact elective care but also put pressure on wider services, and the prioritization of emergency care diverts staff from other areas such as recovery services.”
Further strikes are planned from 7am on Wednesday 3 January until 7am on Tuesday 9 January. If this continues, the six-day strike will become the longest in the history of the NHS. Mr Powis said this would create “serious problems”.
He added: “With another six-day strike in the new year, at a time when the health service is at its busiest, the strike will once again pose significant challenges for the NHS, which is struggling to care for patients in the face of significant challenges.” . Anxiety.
“As always, over the festive period we encourage people to go to A&E departments and call 999 for life-threatening emergencies, and for other medical needs to use the online emergency number 111.”
Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: “We cannot continue like this. We cannot afford another year of strikes. This dispute requires an urgent solution.
“Trust leaders understand the depth of feeling of junior doctors and why they are on strike, but with a hugely disruptive six-day strike, the longest in the history of the NHS, due at the start of January, it is now vital that the government and unions find a solution, find a way to restart negotiations and prevent further strikes.
“With more than 1.2 million visits to hospitals, mental health and community services, including operations and scans, delayed due to industrial action since December last year, patients are paying the price.”
“During strikes, emergency care takes priority, which unfortunately means trusts have to delay many planned treatments.”
She said the NHS staff strike last year cost the NHS around £2 billion.
Junior doctors make up around half of NHS doctors.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents the vast majority of them, is calling for junior doctors to receive a 35 per cent pay rise to make up for years of below-inflation pay rises.
In September the government introduced an 8.8% rise in average junior doctors’ pay plus a flat rate of £1,250.
Further discussions led to a proposal of a 3 percent increase in addition to the average increase of 8.8 percent. However, the BMA rejected this as “wholly inadequate”.
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.