NHS bosses voice ‘excessive concern’ as junior medical doctors plan strikes over Christmas
NHS England bosses have expressed excessive issues over deliberate strikes by junior medical doctors throughout Christmas.
The NHS is already battling a file 7.8 million appointment backlog with among the longest ready occasions within the service’s historical past. Walkouts will run from December 20 to December 23 and from January 3 to January 9, after 5 weeks of talks with the British Medical Association failed to interrupt the impasse.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, nationwide medical director for the NHS in England, stated: “It is extraordinarily in regards to the well being service is about to face one other escalation in industrial motion. The longest consecutive strike in NHS historical past is now deliberate throughout some of the difficult intervals of the 12 months.
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Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)
“Staff across the country have worked incredibly hard to ensure urgent and life-saving care has continued during what is now a full calendar year of strike action, while also delivering progress on our recovery plans. As the NHS continues to prepare for what is likely to be another very challenging winter, we will prepare to mitigate the impact of the latest strikes, once more prioritising urgent and emergency care to protect patient safety and ensure those in life-saving emergencies can receive the best possible care.”
The BMA introduced the walkouts, the second of which would be the longest strike by medical doctors in NHS historical past, after refusing an additional 3% common pay. BMA junior medical doctors’ committee co-chairman Dr Robert Laurenson instructed LBC radio: “The 3% offer was completely insufficient to actually begin to address 26% pay erosion that doctors have faced over the last 15 years.
“All we’re looking for is for that 26% to be restored so we go back to a 0% change from 2008, and that just looks like a doctor starting on about £21 an hour.” On Tuesday Health Secretary Victoria Atkins stated the Government would “immediately look to come back to the table” if the strikes have been referred to as off.
