A senior leader at one of London’s biggest NHS Trusts has warned of a “devastating impact” on services as junior doctors began the biggest strike in NHS history on Thursday.
Dr Simon Steddon, Chief Medical Officer at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital, said that cancellations and delays to treatment were “incredibly distressing” for patients as thousands of junior doctors in the capital began a strike at 7am.
It is the fourth time that junior doctor members of the British Medical Association (BMA) have taken industrial action in a bitter dispute over pay, with the union seeking a 35 per cent pay rise to restore a fall in income since 2008. BMA leaders have urged ministers to resume negotiations to end the strikes, which have already seen 650,000 operations cancelled across England.
The strike, which will last until Tuesday, is the longest in NHS history and precedes a 48-hour walkout by consultants beginning next Thursday. Radiographers will strike at 43 NHS trusts between 8am on July 25 and 8am on July 27.
Dr Arjan Singh, a member of the BMA junior doctors committee, told the Standard the strikes represented the “last chance for doctors to restore their profession in the NHS” and that medics would leave for better-paid roles in Australia and Canada without a “credible offer”.
In a statement on Wednesday evening, Dr Steddon urged the BMA and ministers to “get back round the negotiating table and bring an end to these incredibly damaging strikes”.
“The cumulative impact of this prolonged period of strike action by different professional bodies is now huge. To date, at our Trust alone, we have already had to cancel or reschedule around 55,000 outpatient appointments and nearly 6,000 planned procedures.
“Thousands more will need to be cancelled over the next couple of weeks adding to the significant delay, inconvenience and the inherent risk of further delay to diagnosis and treatment.
“With this picture being replicated across the country, these strikes are having a devastating impact on patients.”
He added: “Many people whose appointments or procedures are being cancelled will have experienced this on multiple occasions, which is incredibly distressing for our patients, and their friends and families.
“Strikes also have a huge physical and emotional impact on our staff. The weeks before strikes are absorbed by reorganising services, negotiating staffing cover, making cancellations and rebooking patients. The response is exhausting. And the weeks after are spent catching up on pent-up demand, while trying to allow appropriate rest and recovery for staff.”
St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group in south west London warned members of the public to expect disruption and longer waits, and to avoid visiting the emergency department when it’s not an emergency.
Last month about 880 people visited one of the Group’s three emergency departments daily – about 10 per cent more than usual. That is despite the summer traditionally seeing the pressure ease on emergency services in the NHS.
Dr Richard Jennings, Group Chief Medical Officer for St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group, said: “Ahead of each round of strikes I’ve urged the public to take steps to help us and to come to our EDs in an emergency only – and I am making the same request again now when it is more important than ever. We have a very tough week ahead and we need your support to ensure we can prioritise care for our sickest and most seriously ill patients.”
Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust said it had rearranged 1,939 outpatient appointments, and 61 non-urgent surgeries due to the strike.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said the strike action was “disappointing” and the five-day walkout would have an impact on “thousands of patients, put patient safety at risk and hamper efforts to cut NHS waiting lists”.
During the strikes the NHS will prioritise emergency, critical and maternity care and where possible patients who have waited the longest for elective and cancer surgery.
Londoners are urged to look after themselves and their loved ones and to check in on vulnerable family members and neighbours during the action.
Consultants will continue to provide all emergency services but routine services will be affected.
Dr Singh said that ministers had rejected the opportunity to involve Acas, the conciliation service, to help end the dispute.
“If the Government chooses not to give us a credible offer, the haemorrhaging of doctors out of the profession will continue. Countries like Australia and Canada have a shortage of doctors but their health ministers have decided to advertise for UK graduates. They are paying doctors appropriately and giving them the opportunity to provide great care. Unless a credible offer is given, doctors will just leave. The money is there to fund this pay rise.”
Mr Barclay is under fresh pressure to reopen negotiations after the Scottish Government agreed a deal with the union for a 12.4 per cent pay rise for this year. Strikes have been suspended while members vote on the proposed agreement.
Dr Singh said of the breakthrough: “The Scottish Government has negotiated in good faith. The BMA has shown they have the ability to sit down with a Government and do this in the right way, with respect on both sides. Whether the deal is accepted or not we will see. The outlier here is our government, that has not done that.”
He added: “Doctors are aware that this is our last chance to restore our profession in the NHS. That is why our mandate and turnout is so strong. We are in this together.”
Mr Barclay said: “If the BMA shows willingness to move significantly from their current pay demands and cancels these damaging and disruptive strikes, we can get around the table to find a fair deal to resolve this dispute.”
NHS Providers has urged both sides to resume talks in a bid to head off more industrial action.
Deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery said: “The impact of these disputes is fraying the fabric of the NHS, held together by a unique sense of commitment and shared endeavour across the workforce that has served it so well over so many years. We lose that at our peril.
“The disruption for many thousands of patients and the potential harm of delaying their treatment is a huge and growing risk for the NHS to manage.”
