Health officials have warned that more than 88,000 NHS appointments in England have been delayed due to strikes in recent weeks and the problem could worsen if disruptions continue.
NHS providers have accused the government of “standing in the way” of efforts to close a record long-term care backlog by failing to find a solution with health unions in a bitter wage dispute.
Ministers are empowered to settle the dispute by meeting again with unions to discuss wages and working conditions this fiscal year.
“Their reluctance hinders elective recovery efforts for patients,” said agency interim director Saffron Corderi.
NHS providers said hospital managers feared that disruptions to health services would increase sharply due to more strikes, with some 7.19 million people in England already awaiting regular hospital treatment by the end of November, according to NHS data.
Ms Cordery said: “More than 88,000 patients in the NHS have been delayed due to strikes in the last seven weeks.
“The appalling scale of disruption is a direct result of wage disputes between the government and unions.
“Confidence leaders fear that this will lead to more strikes that no one can afford as the leaders of the confidence tirelessly try to close the backlog in the supply of materials for the elections.
“The worry is that if the strike continues, this could only be the tip of the iceberg.
“To many trusts on Monday [February 6] becomes the biggest challenge they have ever faced as nurses and paramedics work together for the first time and in more locations than before.
“Leaders are doing their best to prepare, develop plans to minimize the impact on patients and ensure they can provide quality and timely care whenever possible. But without a solution, failures are inevitable.
“No one wants this to happen, but employees are forced to do so by increasingly difficult working conditions, including record high job vacancies, the cost of living crisis and the impact of the pandemic.
“The horrifying prospect of more strikes is of particular concern, given that the impact of the strike extends far beyond the day. Demand is recovering, and those who shied away on strike day often leave later in worse conditions.
“The escalation of strikes will cause serious and profound damage to the NHS in the long term.
“We must do everything to ensure that labor disputes do not become the new normal.
“The government has the power to end this disruption for the time being by talking to unions about working conditions and, most importantly, wages for this fiscal year.
“Their reluctance hinders elective patient recovery efforts.”
This Monday (February 6), Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members from 73 trusts, Unite members from four ambulance trusts and GMB members from eight NHS ambulance trusts will go on strike at the same time.
The next day (February 7), members of the TFR will hold new strikes in the same 73 trusts as the day before.
GMB members will also be working with the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust, the Mersey Care Foundation and NHS Blood and Transplant Trust on 6 February and the foundation’s Liverpool Women’s Trust on 7 February.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Welfare said: “We sympathize with all those whose care has been affected by the strikes and call on unions to carefully consider their impact on patients.
“The Minister of Health and Welfare has had constructive discussions with unions on the 2023-2024 pay process next year and stands ready to continue discussing what is affordable and fair.
“The NHS has made great strides in closing the Covid backlog, virtually eliminating more than two years of waiting times for treatment — the first goal in the elective recovery plan — and reducing the number of people waiting for 18 months of treatment by nearly 60 percent. in a year.”
The health minister will be questioned about the union’s actions on Tuesday when he appears before the Health and Welfare Select Committee.
Steve Barclay is also being questioned due to NHS winter pressure, unfinished care work and labor shortages.
Prior to his speech, Mr. Barclay was invited to a private meeting with GMB paramedics.
It comes after the government unveiled a plan to free up emergency and emergency departments after senior medics called December the “worst ever” for the healthcare system.
The new plan, which will not be backed by additional money, sees the NHS buy 800 more ambulances, open 5,000 new hospital beds and treat thousands more patients at home via video link in so-called “virtual wards”.
Critics say there are serious questions about the number of staff needed to improve NHS care.
Meanwhile, NHS England has announced plans to transform NHS 111 to put pressure on hospitals by improving patient access to specialized pediatric consultations for children.
Additional Press Association coverage
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.