More misery for NHS patients as four-day doctors’ strike will cause disruption and delays for a MONTH – as Britons are urged to avoid ‘risky behaviour’ during 96-hour walkout
- Services could be disrupted for more than a month by the four-day walkout
- Read more: Steve Barclay accuses ‘militant’ unions of ‘unrealistic’ pay demands
Millions of patients face disruption and delays in the NHS lasting a month after junior doctors stage a four-hour strike.
Senior NHS officials have urged the public to avoid doing anything ‘risky’ this week ahead of a 96-hour walkout following the Easter break.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, called on the public to use the health service in ‘the most responsible way you can’ during the four-day walkout which starts today.
Up to 47,600 medics could take industrial action in pursuit of a 35 per cent pay rise, which bosses have warned could ‘utterly overwhelm’ the health service.
And while emergency care will be prioritised, there will be ‘risks to patient safety and dignity’ that cannot be avoided. Hundreds of cancer operations are likely to be cancelled and health experts could not say what the impact would be on those forced for wait for crucial procedures.
One senior health official told The Times that the ‘real harm’ to patients will come after the strikes, when wards are overcrowded. Staff will be left scrambling to discharge patients and organise beds after the four-day disruption.
Staff will be left scrambling to discharge patients and organise beds after the four-day disruption, senior officials said, which will cause overcrowding on wards (junior doctors on strike in March)
‘I don’t think we’re recovered from the March strike yet. It would be perfectly reasonable to think it will take a month or more to recover,’ they said. ‘It’s important to recognise that the harm of the strike happens afterwards; there’s this perception that it falls out of the news and everything goes back to normal and that’s not the case.’
‘Try to avoid risky behaviour because the NHS is not going to be able to provide the level of care we want to provide,’ Mr Taylor told Sky News.
‘We say to the public – obviously if you have a medical emergency you need to call 999, but if you have a concern then there’s 111, there’s the NHS website.
‘Try to use the NHS in the most responsible way you can.’
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the public should avoid ‘risky behaviour’ during the walkout (a strike in March)
When asked whether the strikes would be worse than the 72-hour walkouts by NHS staff last month, he told BBC Breakfast: ‘It will be worse, there’s no question.
‘Not only is the action longer, but it’s sandwiched between the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and another weekend, and it’s a time when many consultants will have booked holiday.
‘We have Ramadan, we have Passover as well. In a sense it’s a perfect storm in terms of the capacity of the health service.’
Read more: Health secretary Steve Barclay accuses ‘militant’ unions of ‘unrealistic’ pay demands ahead of four day junior doctors strike – as NHS boss warns patients to ‘think twice’ before going to A&E amid fears of ‘unparalleled levels of disruption’
Last month’s junior doctor walkout resulted in 175,000 appointments and operations being cancelled, with up to 29,243 staff absent on each of the three days.
There could be up to 350,000 cancellations this week alone, Mr Taylor said, adding the strikes are going to have a ‘catastrophic impact’ on the NHS’s ability to recover from the Covid backlog.
He said the most ‘depressing’ thing about the last few days is the ‘battle of rhetoric’ that has taken place between the Government and unions, rather than constructive negotiations.
Last night, the Guardian reported that junior doctors were prepared to go even further.
One BMA official told the paper: ‘Escalation could be on the cards. There is enough motivation and resources for junior doctors to keep going for another year.’
Another added: ‘The next set of strikes could be longer ones if [Health Secretary Steve] Barclay doesn’t move. He has to be pressured to start making offers. I’m sure the juniors have got a five-day strike on their minds.’
Mr Taylor urged the BMA and ministers to call in conciliation services to help break the stalemate. The junior doctor walkout starting today will not end until Saturday morning, making it the most extensive action on record.
GP surgeries are suspending routine appointments amid fears it will be the ‘most disruptive strike in NHS history’.
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