The NHS faces another winter of discontent after senior doctors announced their longest-ever strike action to take place in October.
The British Medical Association announced that for the first time consultants would strike for three days, between 2 October and 4 October, as part of its ongoing pay dispute.
The new dates come as thousands of consultants began a 48-hour strike on Thursday. Another two days of industrial action are planned on 19-20 September.
As with previous strikes, these and future strikes will allow for “Christmas Day” cover, meaning all emergency services remain in place, the BMA confirmed.
Senior NHS doctors voted to strike in June and took industrial action for two days in July. NHS England predicts that this week’s industrial action means the number of cancelled or postponed appointments and operations as a result of industrial action across the NHS since December will soon surpass 1m. Nearly 890,000 appointments have already been postponed, which is estimated to have cost the health service about £1bn.
NHS England said industrial action over the August bank holiday would add even greater pressure on to the health service, as many staff are on holiday.
NHS England’s national medical director for secondary care, Dr Vin Diwakar, said almost all routine care would be affected and there was “no doubt that it becomes harder each time to bring routine services back on track” after nine months of strikes.
In July, Rishi Sunak announced that pay negotiations had ended and that consultants would receive a 6% rise. The BMA says consultants’ take-home pay has fallen by more than a third in 14 years.
Dr Vishal Sharma, the BMA consultants committee chair, said consultants would be taking to picket lines with “heavy hearts”.
“We would much rather be inside the hospital seeing our patients. But we cannot sit by and watch passively as we are persistently devalued, undermined and forced to watch colleagues leave – much to the detriment of the NHS and patients,” he said.
Julian Hartley, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Trusts are dismayed by the prospect of an even longer strike by senior doctors in October on top of this week’s two-day stoppage and another in September.”
He said trust leaders understood consultants’ frustration and why they were striking, but the effect on patients would be long-lasting. “This could be compounded by additional strike action from junior doctors if they secure another six-month strike mandate when their ballot closes next week,” he said.
On Monday the health minister Will Quince revealed in written parliamentary answers to Labour that ministers had not met NHS consultants since 27 March, junior doctors since 12 May, or radiographers since 4 July. Labour and the BMA accused ministers of not wanting to end industrial action.
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said: “The Conservatives have given up any attempt to solve strikes in the NHS. Rishi Sunak refuses to speak to doctors and instead shamelessly uses them as an excuse for his failure to cut waiting lists. Patients don’t want excuses, they want action … We need a government that will treat NHS staff with respect, open its door for talks, and bring these strikes to an end.”
Sharma said refusing to meet the BMA showed that “the government is not serious about the NHS, its workforce or patients”. He said: “Consultants are clear that they’re prepared to take regular action and politicians must be left in no doubt that our dispute will not go away simply because they refuse to negotiate. We will not be ignored.”
Danny Mortimer, the deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, called for both sides to “do whatever it takes” to end the dispute. “Healthcare leaders are sympathetic to the concerns of senior medical staff regarding reform of their contract, but also know that this war of attrition with the government is eroding hopes of reducing the backlog and affecting patient care,” he said.
Hartley reiterated his plea for the government and unions to “get round the table urgently to prevent more strikes.”
The health secretary, Steve Barclay, reiterated that no improved offer would be forthcoming and said he was concerned and disappointed by the ongoing strikes. Industrial action in August and autumn would “continue to affect patients and hamper efforts to cut NHS waiting lists”, he said.
“We have accepted the independent pay review body recommendations in full, giving consultants a 6% pay rise which means average NHS earnings for consultants of £134,000, on top of a pension where generous tax changes mean a consultant can retire at age 65 with a pension each year for life of £78,000 a year,” Barclay said. “This pay award is final and I urge the BMA to call an end to strikes.”
