A doctor’s union leader described a meeting with Health Secretary Stephen Barclay this morning as “constructive.” However, Professor Philip Banfield, chair of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) council. Stated that there was no mention of one-time payments for NHS staff.
On Monday, the GMB union will meet with ambulance representatives to discuss up to six additional strike dates.
It comes after unsuccessful negotiations with Health Secretary Stephen Barclay earlier this week.
On Wednesday, approximately 25,000 ambulance workers in England and Wales went on strike over a pay dispute with the government.
GMB union may consider up to six more ambulance strike dates
Over the course of 24 hours, paramedics, call handlers, drivers, and technicians from the Unison and GMB unions staged staggered walkouts.
As was the case during the first strike in December, NHS England warned that some patients would have to make their way to the hospital, while the armed forces and private providers were once again enlisted to help cover services.
Dr. Adrian Boyle, the president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, cautioned that walkouts can result in “pent-up demand” in the days that follow.
The nurses are scheduled to strike next Wednesday and Thursday. And the ambulance workers are scheduled to strike the following week on January 23.
Even though no agreement was reached during Monday’s talks with Mr. Barclay, the health secretary agreed to investigate a proposal to backdate the NHS pay deal to January of this year.
However, it is believed that GMB union representatives will meet again next week to discuss whether ambulance workers’ strike action should be escalated.
New NHS England statistics indicate that the average ambulance response time in England last month was the longest on record.
In December, the average response time for ambulances responding to calls from individuals with life-threatening injuries or illnesses was 10 minutes and 57 seconds. The time allotment is seven minutes.
Strikes ‘in protest at unsafe care’
A record number of 54,532 people waited more than 12 hours in A&E departments between a decision to admit and actual admission last month.
In December, the percentage of patients seen within four hours in England’s A&Es reached a record low of 65%.
Downing Street stated that the worst ambulance response times on record are “obviously unacceptable”. But urged all unions to “step back from strike actions and continue constructive discussions”
In response to the most recent NHS England performance data, Patricia Marquis, RCN Director for England. Stated, “The government has had months and months to address this issue but has not done so.” Years of underinvestment in nursing must be reversed, beginning with an immediate pay raise.
“Nurses are standing up for their patients and stating that enough is enough. The strikes next week are a protest against unsafe care.”
Discusses “collaborative” rather than “confrontational”
Professor Philip Banfield, chairman of the council of the British Medical Association. Characterized Mr. Barclay’s discussions with medical unions this morning as “constructive” (BMA).
Professor Banfield told reporters after the meeting that the meeting with Mr. Barclay was “not confrontational” but “collaborative.”
He stated that doctors feel “pushed” to the point of considering strike action because “no one is listening”
“We have about six weeks to sit down and try to resolve the situation, don’t we? “None of our physicians desire a strike; they would prefer that this issue be resolved before we reach that point,” he said.
Representatives of the hospital doctors’ union HCSA and the British Dental Association were also present at the talks.
The meetings followed the announcement by fourteen health unions that they would not submit evidence to the NHS pay review body for the next wage round as long as the ongoing industrial disputes remained unresolved.
They have demanded direct pay discussions with ministers.
The government reports that the majority of ambulance personnel have received a minimum 4% pay raise.
