Patients in emergency departments were forced to wait for up to 16 hours while less-trained medical staff were called in to keep emergency departments open as the start of a six-day doctors’ strike caused chaos in hospitals across England.
Hospital leaders vowed to keep emergency departments and emergency departments open during the strike, but were forced to rely on bringing in physician assistants and nurse practitioners from other areas to help consultants support their colleagues on the picket line.
A senior health chief has said contingency plans covering striking trainee doctors and supporting “life and limb” care could be “under threat” if even one or two consultants fall ill.
Trusts across England are facing the latest strikes as the scale of the unprecedented problem becomes clear.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals warned its hospitals were under “significant pressure” and hospitals in Gloucestershire, Coventry and Bolton in particular warned of waiting times of between six and 12 hours. Warwick Hospital said it was under “extremely increased pressure” and Airedale Hospital in West Yorkshire said its emergency department was “extremely busy”.
The Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth declared a critical incident before midday “to ensure the safety of patients”, saying the hospital and emergency department were full and those already in hospital were facing “very long waiting times” and had to fight.
Only patients with a life-threatening illness or injury that could not be treated elsewhere were advised to go to the emergency department, while others were referred to hospitals in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
NHS operational data showed at least one patient at Yeovil District Hospital waited more than 16 hours in the emergency department this afternoon, although the average wait time to see an A&E doctor was just over an hour and a half, the trust said at around 4.30pm. . “As you can imagine, this figure fluctuates throughout the day and is dependent on demand and capacity at any given time,” the spokesperson said.
Regular NHS care has been effectively suspended after tens of thousands of trainee doctors walked off work from 7am in an ongoing dispute with the Government over pay. The most renowned doctors are members of the British Medical Association (BMA), but for the full six days they were joined by young doctors who are members of the Association of Hospital Consultants and Specialists.
At least 175,000 appointments and surgeries are expected to be canceled before the 144-hour strike ends on Tuesday morning. Some oncology services were also affected.
Dr Becky Suckling, chief medical officer at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are expecting unprecedented disruption as this will be the longest strike yet, but we are prioritizing emergency and urgent care.” here to support us in providing urgent assistance to the Foundation.”
The doctors’ association has existed since 2003 but has come under the spotlight in recent months following the publication of the government’s long-term strategy for NHS England, which calls for a major increase in staffing levels amid record staff shortages.
PA training typically lasts two years, compared to five years of medical training and two years of NHS medical training. One of the main differences between the two roles is that doctors are specialists while paramedics are more generalists.
Staff members routinely perform therapeutic procedures such as inserting an infusion cannula and drawing and evaluating blood tests. However, in recent months there have been concerns that they are taking on more difficult work than necessary.
Dr Vicki Price, President-Elect of the Society of Emergency Medicine, shared I: “With the healthcare system already in an extremely fragile state, this is made even more apparent by the growing pressure on emergency care, among a number of other issues. Colleagues working in non-urgent and emergency cases are desperate to keep outpatient services running, meaning there are fewer colleagues working at the hospital’s front doors compared to previous strikes.
“This is because staff suffer greatly from poor morale and fatigue, and colleagues have fewer opportunities to provide additional training. This will continue even after the strike because the vacancy rate is very high.”
Dr Leila Mackay, director of policy at NHS Confederation, said: “To keep patients as safe as possible and get people the care they need as quickly as possible, all available resources are directed towards the most pressing and urgent cases. “Worry. And this means that many other worries will have to be put on hold.
“Plans were made and people worked very, very hard on these schedules. But what we mean by skating on thin ice is that the nets are pretty much covered, so it only takes a few counselors to get sick – which, of course, is a lot, there are a lot of covid and flu viruses, noroviruses and other winter stuff. Viruses If a couple gets sick there, then the whole plan is at risk. That’s why NHS bosses are so concerned the situation is moving on thin ice.”
Krankenhauschefs könnten die BMA bitten, angehenden Ärzten die Rückkehr zur Arbeit zu gestatten, um zu helfen, wenn während ihres sechstägigen Streiks ein Notfall eintritt, aber viele befürchten, dass die Gewerkschaft den „Rückrufanträgen“ n icht nachkommen wird oder zu lange brauchen wird, um sie check .
Adding to concerns, the strike comes during what is traditionally the busiest week of the year for the NHS, with hospitals already seeing a rise in the number of flu and Covid patients in recent days.
The BMA has called for wages to be restored to 2008/2009 levels, an increase of 35.3 percent, after years of declining real wages. Negotiations collapsed in December after the government increased the existing 9 percent increase by 3 percent. Doctors said it was not enough, but Health Minister Victoria Atkins said it was not the final proposal.
On Wednesday, union leaders said they could call off the strike if their goal is achieved “in a few years.”
Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chair of the British Medical Association’s Junior Doctors Committee, said he was pleased to extend the BMA’s salary requirement for the coming years, signaling his willingness to restart discussions. A “credible proposal” from ministers “will suspend our strike until the end of the week”, he said.
Dr Trivedi told the BBC: “All we want is a credible offer that we can make to our members and we will never have to go on strike again.”
Dr Georgia Blackwell, 28, told a vigil outside St Thomas’ Hospital in central London that more NHS staff would consider moving abroad if pay was not increased. “Many doctors are moving to Australia – not just for the salary, but also because there is a better work-life balance here,” she said.
Dr Fareed Al Qusus told Bristol Royal Infirmary: “No doctor wants to go on strike, it’s a last resort, but the current government has forced us to do it. “All we ask is a credible proposal from the government.”
NHS England national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said the impact of the junior doctors’ strike would have a “long-lasting impact in the weeks and months ahead”.
He said: “We know hospitals are already experiencing significant demand. While other NHS services are also under enormous pressure and staff are doing the best they can for patients with extensive preparations, there is no denying that the NHS has started the year in a very difficult position.
Acas Conciliation Service says it will “stay in touch” with all parties involved in the junior doctors dispute.
Susan Clews, chief executive of Acas, said: “Independent research has shown that both employers and employees overwhelmingly want the various parties involved in industrial action to use Acas mediation to resolve their dispute.”
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.