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The National Health Service (NHS) is navigating a challenging period amid the ongoing doctors’ strike in England, with efforts focused on maintaining essential services, according to the Health Secretary.
Wes Streeting acknowledged that while a complete elimination of disruption from the five-day strike by resident doctors is not feasible, measures are being taken to minimize its impact.
The strike, involving thousands of resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, commenced on Friday following unsuccessful negotiations between the government and the British Medical Association (BMA) regarding pay.
The NHS is prioritizing the continuation of non-urgent services, urging patients to attend scheduled appointments unless notified of cancellations. However, the BMA has raised concerns about potential overextension of staff.
Despite the strike, the union has begun approving requests for doctors to temporarily suspend picket line activities and provide assistance in hospitals experiencing the most critical needs.
For instance, a doctor was directed to return to work at Nottingham City Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit over the weekend.
Additionally, the BMA approved a request from Lewisham Hospital in south London for two anaesthetists to work on Saturday.
Prior to this strike, the twelfth since March 2023, the union had only granted five such requests, known as derogations.
Official figures on the impact of the latest strike are yet to be released, but initial reports from some hospitals indicate that over 80% of non-urgent work is still being carried out, with senior doctors stepping in to cover for resident doctors.
The public is being encouraged to continue seeking NHS care in England during the industrial action.
NHS England has confirmed that GP surgeries will maintain regular hours, and urgent care, A&E services, and NHS 111 will remain accessible.
Prior to the strike, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer implored resident doctors in a Times article to reconsider pursuing strike action.
Despite efforts by NHS leadership, Starmer expressed concern that the strike would result in a “huge loss for the NHS and the country,” criticizing the BMA for “rushing” into industrial action.
Sir Keir further cautioned that the walkouts risked undermining the progress made in rebuilding the NHS over the past year.
Streeting emphasized that the government would “not let the BMA hold the country to ransom” and was committed to “everything we can to minimise the risk to patients”.
He acknowledged the inevitability of some disruption, expressing his and the Prime Minister’s frustration on behalf of patients and NHS staff who continue to work.
Previous strikes have resulted in widespread cancellations of operations, appointments, and treatments.
During the resident doctor strikes in March 2023, over one million appointments were cancelled, and routine care was reduced by half in some hospitals.
However, NHS England has instructed hospitals to only cancel non-urgent work in exceptional circumstances this time.
Doctors in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are not participating in the pay dispute.
Talks between the government and the union have been focused on non-pay issues, such as exam fees, working conditions and career progression, after Streeting had said pay was not open to negotiation.
There are currently no plans for more talks but this could change once the current strike action is over.
Government sources say the ball is very much in the BMA’s court and they still will not negotiate on pay.
The BMA contends that despite an average pay rise of 5.4% this year, following a 22% increase over the previous two years, pay has effectively decreased by a fifth since 2008 when adjusted for inflation.
Resident doctors in England now earn a basic salary of £38,831 during their first foundation year after completing their medical degree. This increases to £44,439 in the second year and exceeds £73,000 by the end of training.
Medics are often expected to work night shifts, weekends and longer hours for extra pay. These top up their earnings by more than a quarter on average.
BMA resident doctor co-leaders Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said: “Resident doctors are not worth less than they were 17 years ago.
“Restoring pay remains the simplest and most effective route toward improving our working lives.
“Mr Streeting had every opportunity to prevent this strike, but he chose not to take it.”
While the majority of resident doctors work in hospitals, some GP practices and community services could also be affected. Resident doctors represent nearly half the medical workforce.
Some patients have been affected. Hassnain Shahid, 32, from Bradford, said his three-year-old daughter had her lung surgery on Monday cancelled.
She has a rare lung condition which means a cold is a serious risk to her health.
“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster. It’s very frustrating,” said Hassnain.
The BMA said that it had written to NHS England to say that staff who work through the strike could be stretched too thinly. The union said it would be better to significantly reduce non-urgent care, as has happened previously.
But Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, said hospitals trying to keep services running would do so within “rigorous safety guidelines”.
She said the situation was complicated by the fact that doctors were not obliged to say whether they would turn up.
“Nobody will know until they actually turn up for their shifts or not.”
Around two thirds of resident doctors are BMA members.
The Liberal Democrats have called for an NHS strike resilience plan, using private hospitals for some elective treatments.
The Conservative shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said the strikes threatened to drag hospitals into chaos and leave patients “dangerously exposed”.
He criticised what he called Labour’s “spineless surrender to union demands” last year, which he said allowed the BMA to come “back for more”.
Rory Deighton, of the NHS Confederation, which represents frontline health managers, said: “The impact of these strikes and the distress they will cause patients rests with the BMA.”
Nicholas Chapman, 57, was criticised for bringing the medical profession into “disrepute”.
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A donation of more than £170,000 from the HELP Appeal has made the upgrade possible.
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