- Junior Doctors Begin 4-Day Strike Amid NHS Concerns
- NHS Providers Warns of Critical Services Under Strain
- BMA Demands Pay Increase While Strikes Continue
Junior physicians have begun a four-day walkout, with health officials warning that the NHS cannot withstand further disruption.
The British Medical Association (BMA) members’ strike began at 07:00 BST on Monday and will continue until Tuesday.
It is the fifth strike by junior physicians over pay in England.
NHS Providers stated that services were at breaking point because the junior doctor strikes had cost an estimated £1 billion and caused the postponement of thousands of treatments.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive officer of NHS Providers, which represents hospital administrators, expressed grave concern over the grievous disruption that would result from this latest strike and the upcoming two-day walkout by consultants.
“We may be close to a tipping point,” he said, adding, “Trusts and staff are pulling out all the stops, but with no end to strikes in sight, the sheer volume of delayed planned treatment due to industrial action will make it nearly impossible for trusts to reduce waiting lists as much as the government desires.”
The cost of £1 billion was incurred due to lost productivity, preparation and planning for strikes, and the payment of exorbitant rates to cover consultants.
During their strikes, junior doctors, who constitute nearly half of the medical personnel, have abandoned both emergency and planned care.
Patients with modest health concerns are advised to contact NHS 111 or the nearest pharmacy during the strike, although A&E departments remain open.
If an appointment must be rescheduled, individuals will be notified. It is unlikely that GP and community appointments will be affected.
The BMA has requested a 35% pay increase to compensate for 15 years of wage increases below inflation.
The government gave junior physicians 6% in addition to £1,250, for a total of nearly 9%.
Ministers have agreed to pay the independent pay review body’s suggestion, ending talks.
Since December, nearly 780,000 hospital appointments have been postponed due to strike action by NHS personnel.
NHS England stated that this was a contributing factor to the rising number of patients awaiting treatment.
On Thursday, it was revealed that the hospital backlog had surpassed 7.5 million for the first time. Indicating that nearly one in seven individuals are currently on a hospital waiting list.
One affected patient is Margaret Gotheridge, 81, of Nottingham, who requires a replacement pacemaker.
The consultants’ strike cancelled an appointment in July, and the junior physicians’ strike will cancel another on Monday.
Instead of risking it being canceled, she decided to pay for it to be completed privately.
“I couldn’t take the risk,” she said, adding that while she understood that physicians had lost pay, the 35% pay demand was “ridiculous.”
The co-chair of the BMA’s committee for junior physicians described a recent meeting with Mr. Barclay as “pointless and irrelevant.”
Junior doctors are always eager to negotiate to avert strikes, but they seek a 31.7% compensation drop since 2008.
He added, “It is noteworthy to note that a report released today indicated that the cost of the action thus far has been approximately £1 billion, which is roughly what it would have cost to settle this in October of last year.
Regarding our interactions with this government, we are now entering ideological and bluntly indignant territory.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay stated, “Patients are bearing the brunt of the impact of continuous strikes across the NHS. And additional action by the BMA will result in the postponement of more appointments and procedures.”
“My door is always open to discuss ways to improve the working lives of physicians. But this pay award is final, so I urge the BMA to immediately end its strikes.”
British Medical Association chief Prof. Philip Banfield called doctors’ blame for the growing waiting list “deliberately misleading.”
He stated, “The government presided over this problem long before any industrial action – waiting lists steadily worsened in the decade preceding the outbreak.”
These waiting lists and the inability of physicians to perform their duties due to underinvestment, workforce shortages, and rota gaps are the cause of the current strikes.
He urged the government to return to the negotiating table with a “credible offer”.
