Avoid doing anything ‘risky’ this week, senior NHS official urges ahead of strike
Britons were today begged not to do anything ‘risky’ this week because of a four-day strike that could ‘completely overwhelm’ hospitals.
Up to 47,600 junior doctors across England will leave between April 11 and 15 to pursue a massive 35 per cent pay rise.
Terrifying internal forecasts warn that 350,000 procedures and appointments could be dropped in what could be the most disruptive strike action in the NHS’s 75-year history.
GPs have already started canceling consultations to deal with the impending chaos, while pharmacists and matrons have been hired to cover striking staff with an ‘all hands on deck’ approach.
Ahead of the start of the 96-hour strike, which starts at 6.59am tomorrow, NHS Confederation CEO Matthew Taylor called on the public to use the system in ‘the most responsible way’.
Striking young doctors at Homerton Hospital in Hackney hold a rally on March 14 with signs reading ‘If you love your NHS, pay your doctors’ and ‘One blow a day will keep NHS staff from staying’
Nearly 325,000 operations and appointments have been canceled due to NHS strikes this winter, while up to 350,000 could be canceled
Protesters at a strike rally in Trafalgar Square on March 15, holding a sign reading ‘I’m not Doctor Who so don’t pay me like it’s 2008’
Health chiefs say its impact will be greater than any previous picket, as it comes after Easter weekend, when there is usually a spike in pent-up demand.
There will also be fewer consultants available to replace high profile juniors as many will be on vacation.
It means that even critical services like emergency and maternity units are likely to operate with a skeleton staff, even though bosses will prioritize emergency care.
“Try to avoid risky behaviour, because the NHS will not be able to provide the level of care we want to provide,” Taylor told Sky News.
“We say to the public, if you have a medical emergency, of course you should call 999, but if you’re worried there’s 111, there’s the NHS website.
‘Try to use the NHS in the most responsible way.’
When asked if the strikes would be worse than the 72-hour strikes by NHS staff last month, he told BBC Breakfast: ‘It will be worse, there’s no doubt about it.
“Not only is the promotion extending, but it is sandwiched between the Easter holiday weekend and another weekend, and it is a time when many consultants will have holiday booked.
“We have Ramadan, we also have Passover. In a way, it’s a perfect story in terms of health care capacity.’
Mr Taylor said the strikes will have a ‘catastrophic impact’ on the NHS’s ability to recover from the Covid backlog.
He said the most “depressing” thing in recent days is the “rhetorical battle” that has taken place between the government and unions, rather than constructive negotiations.
He urged the British Medical Association (BMA) and ministers to bring in mediation services to help break the stalemate.
Dr. Robert Laurenson, co-chair of the BMA committee for junior doctors outside University College Hospital in central London. He accuses Health Secretary Steve Barclay of not handling his demands properly
Members of the British Medical Association protest outside Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London
Young medics on the picket line at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Newcastle
NHS data on A&E performance in February shows that only seven in 10 A&E visitors (71.5 per cent) were seen within four hours of appearing on A&E (red line). Meanwhile, 34,976 patients seeking help in emergency departments had to wait more than 12 hours – equivalent to more than 1,000 patients per day (yellow bar)
Jeremy Corbyn joined NHS trainee doctors outside Whittington Hospital in North London
The strikes start tomorrow and last until Saturday morning, making it the most extensive action ever.
And the impact of the union action could be worse than initially feared, as GP surgeries cancel some routine appointments for up to a week to allow medics to take over shifts for striking workers.
Surgeries across England were found to be canceling appointments by The Telegraph, with Granville House Medical Center in Chorley saying there would be no pre-bookable appointments until April 17.
GPs are being offered up to £200 an hour by NHS managers to cover night shifts during the four-day strike – double the standard rate – and £150 for day shifts.
Some London hospital trusts offer a daily rate of as much as £2,400, according to the MoS.
Pharmacists, matrons and paramedics are also reportedly being called in to relieve pressure, as are some non-patient staff such as radiologists and biochemists.
An A&E registrar told The i paper that weekend schedules, which would normally have “bare” employees, have been beefed up to try to clear backlogs.
But she added: ‘That’s a good thing as we hope to get rid of patient backlogs, but it’s also a bit annoying as it’s taken the strike action to get normal staff on these days.
‘We should always have them, but because we have so few staff, we don’t understand that. That made it clear to me why we are taking this action.’
Last month’s junior doctor’s strike resulted in the cancellation of 175,000 appointments and surgeries, with up to 29,243 staff absent on each of the three days.
This means this week’s strikes could see more than twice as many cancellations.
Today, the BMA trainee doctors’ Twitter account wrote: ‘Tomorrow trainee doctors across England will start the second round of our strike action to restore our wages.
“Don’t go to work, don’t cross a picket line. Stay together, fight together, win together.’
Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of the NHS, warned that the four-day strike will be ‘the most disruptive industrial action in the history of the NHS’.
The BMA considers the demand as wage recovery rather than a wage increase.