NHS trusts are bracing for an “unprecedented challenge” and mass cancellations as trainee doctors across England went on a six-day strike – the longest in the health service’s history.
Routine medical care – from outpatient appointments to elective operations such as hip replacements – is expected to come to a virtual standstill as the pay dispute between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Government continues.
Cancer surgeries are among the cases that may be delayed.
The last previous action by trainee doctors, a three-day strike before Christmas, led to the cancellation of 88,000 NHS appointments across England, with twice as many appointments expected to be rescheduled this week.
Sir Julian Hartley, head of NHS Providers, which represents trusts, said the NHS simply could not afford “another year of strikes” and called for a “swift resolution” to the dispute.
More than 1.2 million scheduled appointments, including operations, scans and x-rays, have already been postponed due to a series of strikes over the past 12 months.
The BMA has vowed to continue industrial action until Health Minister Victoria Atkins makes a “credible offer” to the union to call off the strikes. The government is ready to make a new offer to doctors – but only if the strikes are called off, insiders say.
Sir Julian said: “The longest strike in the history of the NHS will result in thousands of patients facing delays and disruption.” worst time this week.
“Trusts have carefully planned to ensure patient safety and provide critical and emergency care, but the scale of the problem as a result of the unprecedented six-day strike will be greater than ever before. We need to resolve this dispute quickly as we see the risk of other staff returning to our healthcare facilities.”
Last year’s strikes cost the NHS around £2 billion. Sir Julian warned that hospital bosses were “spending too much time planning and managing strikes, rather than putting all their energy into reducing waiting lists”.
Co-chairs of the BIA Young Doctors Committee Dr. Robert Lawrenson and Dr. Vivek Trivedi said: “Doctors would like to start the new year with the hope of a salary offer that will lead to a better-staffed healthcare system and a more valuable profession.” Instead, doctors are still being paid £15.50 an hour and are being forced by the government to strike again because it can’t muster the strength to offer the fair pay it knows it ultimately should.
“We spent the holidays hoping to get the “final offer” that the health minister promised us last year. Unfortunately, we did not receive such an offer, although we continued to say that we would meet at Christmas and discuss everything. We will continue to offer appointments during upcoming strikes. We just need a strong proposal for members and we can call off these strikes.”
The strike, which will last from 7am on Wednesday until 7am on Tuesday, January 9, comes at one of the busiest times of the year for the NHS as it battles growing winter virus pressures and growing numbers of people force those to step forward and delay Search. Help during the holidays.
Dr. Tim Cooksley, former president of the Society of Emergency Medicine, shared I said the strike, which could see up to half of England’s medical staff leave, came at a “hot time for acute care”.
He said: The strikes are in no way the cause of the problems that will become apparent this week; They will continue for many weeks after the strike ends.
“The strikes highlight the low morale of many NHS staff who are struggling to provide minimum standards of care. They are increasingly perceived as “business as usual”: this is completely unacceptable. It is vital that we find a solution: they must not join the growing list of terrible events in the NHS that are now reluctantly accepted as the norm.
“Many other colleagues will continue to work to provide safe care during these difficult times and it is important that people with severe symptoms continue to seek help. “We remain committed to improving this situation.”
Senior officials believe the 144-hour strike could lead to “the toughest start to the year the NHS has ever experienced”. NHS officials said urgent and emergency care would be given priority during the strikes and almost all routine care would be affected. However, patients are strongly encouraged to seek help if they need it.
In a video message, Dr. Lara Alloway, chief medical officer for NHS Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, called for public support “to keep people as safe as possible and provide urgent care to those who really need it.”
She said: “Young doctors have been on strike for six days while we are incredibly busy in the NHS… we need to save our emergency departments for those who truly need urgent care and have life- or limb-threatening conditions.”
“If you have a friend or family member in hospital who is ready to leave, please help us by getting them as soon as possible. This allows us to ensure that our services are ready to provide you with the help you need during this very difficult time.”
Age UK has warned that the threat of strikes could deter older people from seeking help when they need it. The charity also said that “it will be difficult to provide safe and effective care to everyone who needs it.”
Paul Farmer, chief executive of Age UK, called the current situation “unacceptable”.
He said: “We are deeply concerned about the risk this poses to the health of older people as, with the best intentions and efforts of staff, it will be difficult to provide safe and effective care to everyone who needs it.”
“At Age UK we are also very concerned about older people who may be unwell but are unable to get the help they need because of the strikes. We are increasingly hearing from older people who are already struggling to get the help they need but are now concerned about ongoing strikes for themselves and their families.”
Ms Atkins said: “January is typically the busiest time of year for the NHS and these strikes will have serious consequences for patients across the country.
“The NHS has once again put in place robust emergency plans to protect patient safety and it is vital that everyone who needs medical help continues to come forward. “I call on the BMA Junior Doctors Committee to call off the strikes and return to the negotiating table so we can find a fair and reasonable solution to end the strikes once and for all.”
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.