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A&E units ‘will be UNSAFE at night due to 4-day junior doctors’ strike’ that has left ‘very fragile’ hospitals braced for a month of carnage as picket lines mock Steve Barclay for refusing to cave in on huge 35% pay rise demand
- Doctors will mount picket lines outside hospitals from 7am today until Saturday
- An estimated 350,000 NHS appointments will be cancelled due to the strikes
- READ MORE: What should I do if I’m ill? Everything to know as NHS strike begins
- ***Have you been affected by the strike? Email [email protected]***
Emergency departments may struggle to keep patients safe overnight due to staff shortages triggered by the junior doctors’ strike, health chiefs have warned.
NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, said bosses in England are ‘worried about securing adequate cover’ for night shifts during the 96-hour walkout.
The action, coordinated British Medical Association (BMA), is a bid to secure a 35 per cent pay rise for junior doctors. It is expected to see up to 350,000 appointments cancelled this week.
Officials fear the ‘unparalleled’ disruption — at a time when hospital staffing rotas are ‘very fragile’ because of the Easter holidays — will take weeks to recover from.
On picket lines across the country, junior doctors mocked Health Secretary Steve Barclay for not caving in to the BMA’s pay demand, accusing him of trying to ‘look tough in front of unions’ rather than averting strike action.
NHS Providers, iv flagyl uses which represents hospitals, said bosses in England are ‘worried about securing adequate cover’ for night shifts during the 96-hour walkout. Pictured: Junior doctors hold a rally at Trafalgar Square in London on April 11
The action, coordinated British Medical Association (BMA), is a bid to secure a 35 per cent pay rise for junior doctors. It is expected to see up to 350,000 appointments cancelled this week. Pictured: Junior doctors hold a rally at Trafalgar Square in London on April 11
Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: ‘Keeping patients as safe as possible, trusts’ number one priority, will be even harder than in previous strikes so it’s all hands on deck.
‘It’s not just consultants and specialist doctors stepping into the breach.
‘We’re seeing support from GPs, paramedics, pharmacists, community matrons and others playing their part to minimise the risk.
‘Getting through today is just the start. Trust leaders are worried about securing adequate cover for the night shifts ahead. This is going to be a very long, difficult week for the NHS.’
She said that, while junior doctors are frustrated with their pay, it is ‘exasperating to hear the Government and unions talking about why they can’t get together rather than just sitting down and talking’.
Gov tells junior doctors it WON’T discuss pay until militant union abandons strike and accepts less than 35%
Downing Street insisted there would be no talks with the British Medical Association (BMA) unless it abandons its demand for 35 per cent rise and calls off the strikes.
A No 10 spokesman said Rishi Sunak was being kept up to date about the impact of the industrial action.
The spokesperson said: ‘It continues to be the case that we call on the BMA junior doctors to cease their strikes and revise their starting point for negotiations, which is 35 per cent, which we continue to believe is unreasonable and is not affordable for the British taxpayer.’
The 35 per cent demand is ‘completely out of step with pay settlements in other parts of the public sector’ and would cost £2billion, they said.
The spokesman added: ‘We know that the strike action will have an impact on patient care. The last set of strikes saw around 180,000 operations cancelled and that was a three-day strike, so we’d expect to see higher numbers this week.’
However, Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairman of the BMA junior doctors’ committee, said that the 35 per cent increase is not a ‘tall ask’.
He told BBC Breakfast: ‘All we’re asking is for a doctor who’s paid £14 an hour to be paid £19 an hour, so it’s not a tall ask.
‘We’ve offered multiple dates to Mr Barclay to try and meet and he’s only met us twice, he didn’t have a mandate to negotiate once, and didn’t even give us an offer the second time.’
‘We need a leap of imagination from all parties involved in this dispute to end the strikes now,’ she added.
Up to half of doctors in England took to picket lines from 7am this morning, in action that will run until 7am on Saturday, marking the ‘longest period of industrial action’ that the NHS has ever seen.
It immediately follows the four-day bank holiday weekend, which is expected to cause huge disruption, as many senior medics are on annual leave or have childcare commitments, meaning fewer are available to fill in.
There is also usually a spike in pent-up demand after the Easter weekend.
Sir Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England, warned ‘cover is very fragile’, with hospitals forced to rely on consultants and other staff to do the work that junior doctors usually do.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘We are working very hard to ensure those emergency services are kept safe — that is our priority.
‘But I’ve also got no doubt that that cover is very fragile.
‘We will endeavour to keep patients safe, particularly in those emergency services, but that is becoming harder every time we have this strike action.’
Hospital bosses told the Health Service Journal that they are ‘stuffed if staff get sick’.
One unnamed official in the East of England told the trade magazine: ‘We have all areas covered but they are very fragile. If a couple of key posts go sick, we’re in trouble.’
Another based in the North of the country added: ‘There’s a wicked mix of issues which together with the bank holiday make this strike feel much more worrying.’
The NHS said it will continue to prioritise emergency, critical, neonatal, maternity and trauma care during the action.
But it has warned that ‘hundreds of thousands’ of appointments, including cancer care, will be postponed and there will be ‘significant impact’ on local services.
Officials have urged patients to attend appointments as normal, unless they have been told that it is cancelled.
Patients should only call 999 or attend A&E in life-threatening emergencies and use NHS 111 for non-urgent care.
Health leaders advised Brits to avoid ‘risky behaviour’ this week as the health service can’t provide the level of care that it wants to.
Sir Stephen called on the public to ‘think twice’ before going to A&E. The plea comes after warnings from hospitals that patients did not stay away during junior doctors’ 72-hour strike in March.
Junior doctors hold a rally at Trafalgar Square in London on April 11
Junior doctors hold a rally at Trafalgar Square in London on April 11
Junior doctors hold a rally at Trafalgar Square in London on April 11
Junior doctors hold placards at a picket while on strike outside University College Hospital in London on April 11
Junior doctors hold placards at a picket while on strike outside William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent on April 11
Striking NHS junior doctors on the picket line outside Southmead Hospital in Bristol on April 11
Striking junior doctors outside Leeds General Infirmary on April 11
Striking NHS junior doctors on the picket line outside St Thomas’ Hospital in London on April 11
Almost 325,000 operations and appointments have been cancelled because of NHS strikes this winter
Patients have told of feeling like their ‘life has been put on the line for money’ and accused the BMA of being ‘off their rocker’ and in ‘la la land’ over their 35 per cent pay demand.
Dr Camilla Hill, a neuroscientist, was due to have operation this week to treat her misaligned kneecaps, which can leave her in pain when walking, kneeling or using the stairs.
The 42-year-old, who has already had her procedure postponed once, told the BBC that she understood if it was cancelled because it could not be performed safely.
But Dr Hill accused the medics of being ‘off their rocker’.
She said: ‘Everyone is feeling the squeeze and there is a limited pot of money.
READ MORE What should I do if I’m ill this week? What kind of ‘risky’ behaviour should I avoid? And do junior doctors REALLY earn £14 an hour? Everything you need to know as 4-day NHS strike begins
Junior doctors take to picket lines outside University College Hospital in London on April 11
‘Their 35 per cent pay demands are unfeasible and they have to realise they are unfeasible.’
Paul Turnbull, an occupational physician, was booked in for a thigh bone replacement this week. It has already been cancelled once for a medical issue and a second time due to last month’s junior doctors’ strike.
The 61-year-old occupation physician told the broadcaster: ‘The welfare of patients is first and foremost.
‘Junior doctors are living in la-la land if they think they are going to get a 35 per cent pay rise, and I don’t believe they are badly paid compared to people in other professions and the general population.’
Nick Gladwell, a bowel cancer patient, was due to have an appointment today at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. But it was cancelled due to the strike action.
He told ITV News: ‘It shouldn’t be involving me. This is two parties at loggerheads and I’m stuck in the middle and I feel like my life has been put on the line for money.’
Mr Gladwell added: ‘Wherever you stand on the side of the Government or the doctors, it’s people lives at risk.
‘Having two young children and being a single father, I’ve got to be there for them.
‘I’ve got people who rely on me, so I want to get well as soon as possible.’
Marilyn Mee, from Watford, has told of how she has been ‘left on tenterhooks’ over whether her shoulder operation will go ahead at Watford General Hospital on Thursday.
The 77-year-old, who has been waiting 18 months for the procedure, said she has so far had ‘no news’ on whether the operation will take place on Thursday.
She said: ‘The theatre is booked, equipment has arrived and two consultants are ready to operate in tandem as long as they are not called to cover for junior doctors. I’m on tenterhooks.
‘I appreciate the junior doctors have worked very hard and do overtime and are not paid very much but I don’t believe in striking when it affects people’s health.’
It comes after Dr Hilary Jones today warned that patients will die as a direct result of the junior doctors’ strikes, due to delayed treatment.
He told Good Morning Britain: ‘If you’ve got one doctor there, trying to look after ten patients and they’re all acutely ill, you can’t get to them all at the same time.’
And Dr Jones warned that a heart attack patient will not receive the same care at hospital today that they would have had a week ago.
‘You’re going to be in a queue with others in the same situation. This is disruptive, this is dangerous, it’s never been more dangerous,’ he said.
Dr Sumi Manirajan, deputy co-chair of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, said she ‘can’t guarantee that no lives will be put at risk’ but said 500 patients are currently dying each week while waiting for care.
Striking NHS junior doctors on the picket line outside Leicester Royal Infirmary on April 11
Striking NHS junior doctors on the picket line outside Leicester Royal Infirmary on April 11
The walkout is the latest move in a growing row between the Government and junior medics over pay.
The BMA is seeking a 35 per cent pay rise to address the 26 per cent real terms pay cut junior doctors have faced over the last 15 years.
Starting salaries for junior doctors are £29,384. this rises to £58,398 by the end of their training and within six years of graduating from university, they can earn £120,000 as a consultant.
The BMA has said it is ‘willing to negotiate on how to achieve pay restoration’.
But Health Secretary Steve Barclay has repeatedly insisted that this demand is unaffordable.
READ MORE Warning people will die as junior doctors begin 4-day strike in hunt of a 35% pay rise worth up to £20,000 per medic – as NHS bosses fear union will plot MORE chaos after King Charles’ Coronation and other May Bank Holidays
Striking NHS junior doctors on the picket line outside Leicester Royal Infirmary on April 11
He said: ‘It is extremely disappointing the BMA has called strike action for four consecutive days.
‘Not only will the walkouts risk patient safety, but they have also been timed to maximise disruption after the Easter break.
‘I hoped to begin formal pay negotiations with the BMA last month but its demand for a 35 per cent pay rise is unreasonable — it would result in some junior doctors receiving a pay rise of over £20,000.
‘If the BMA is willing to move significantly from this position and cancel strikes we can resume confidential talks and find a way forward, as we have done with other unions.’
Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chair of the BMA junior doctor committee, said: ‘We were knocking on the Health Secretary’s door, asking to meet with him to negotiate a settlement to this dispute, long before the current strike got under way.
‘We have been in a formal dispute since October. He refused to respond and meet us until we had a strike ballot result.
‘He has had months to put a credible offer on the table and avert industrial action so for him to say ‘it’s disappointing’ is at best disingenuous.’
He added: ‘The reality is that the Health Secretary has had every opportunity to bring an end to the dispute.’
Dr Trivedi said the plea, which is thought could cost in the region of £2billion, was not a ‘tall ask’.
Dr Sam Taylor-Smith, a junior doctor and BMA representative on the picket line outside Southmead Hospital in Bristol, led a group of around 30 junior doctors in a chant criticising the Health Secretary.
The group chanted: ‘There was a man named Steve, he cause the doctors a lot of grief, he refused our meeting, then took to late night tweeting.’
The BMA has highlighted the low pay as part of a new advertising campaign in support of the pay dispute by junior doctors in England
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: ‘It is extremely disappointing the BMA has called strike action for four consecutive days. Not only will the walkouts risk patient safety, but they have also been timed to maximise disruption after the Easter break’
Vivek Trivedi (left) and Rob Laurenson (right), co-chairmen of the BMA’s junior doctor’s committee, speak to the media after a meeting with Health Secretary Steve Barclay on March 2
Four in ten junior doctors plan to leave the health service ‘as soon as possible’, according to the BMA, which quizzed nearly 4,000 members in November and December on whether they were looking to quit the NHS.
In response to a question on whether they planned to work as a doctor in another country within the next year, one third of the group agreed, according to the BMA results. Australia was the top destination, with 42 per cent of the cohort planning to move there
The 27-year-old said: ‘I’m really disappointed in Steve Barclay’s attitude to be honest.
‘We wrote to him on March 31 asking for a reopening of negotiations and asking him to take us seriously and offer us a serious pay offer.
‘He waited five or six days to respond to that letter, so that doesn’t strike me as a man who is concerned about averting a strike at all possible costs.’
Dr Taylor-Smith added: ‘I think he’s just concerned with looking tough in front of unions rather than actually trying to avert strike action.’
At Trafalgar Square in central London, junior doctors, many dressed in orange hats and vests, chanted and held up signs, such as ‘Steve (Barclay) did your dog eat your homework’.
Nearly 4MILLION NHS 111 calls abandoned in 2022, analysis shows
Almost four million calls to NHS 111 were abandoned last year – the equivalent of 10,000 a day – analysis reveals.
The hotline is widely used by members of the public who need medical help when not in a life-threatening situation.
But millions in need of urgent health advice gave up before getting through to a call handler, figures suggest.
The House of Commons Library data shows 17.8 per cent – nearly one in five – calls to NHS 111 last year were abandoned.
This is the equivalent of 3.7million calls over the course of 12 months, or around 10,000 per day.
The worst-hit area was the South East, where half of all callers gave up getting through to the helpline at the end of last year.
Across the whole of England patients faced excruciatingly long delays to get through to a health advisor, with the average time taken to answer a call reaching 25 minutes in December.
The NHS target is to answer a 111 call in 20 seconds on average.
Long delays to the service risk piling even more pressure on to overcrowded hospitals, as those unable to get through are likely to turn to their local A&E instead.
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, which commissioned the analysis, said: ‘It is completely unacceptable that so many people in need of urgent medical advice are struggling to get through to NHS 111.
‘Staff are exhausted, patients are left in pain, but still Conservative ministers are burying their heads in the sand.
‘The government must urgently hire and train more staff to take 111 calls, or else millions more people will be left in pain for far too long.’ NHS data also shows that in December last year, nearly 95,000 calls were received by the 111 service – an increase of more than a third compared to the previous month.
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, said: ‘People should be able to get the care they deserve when they need it.
‘No-one should be forced to abandon a call because wait times are so long when they are in need of urgent medical help.
‘The Government must urgently address this dire situation. We need a proper long-term plan to tackle staff shortages, or the NHS will be exposed to the same winter crises year after year.’
Insiders are concerned that the BMA is plotting even more carnage around the three Bank Holidays next month — on May 1, 8 and 29 — including for King Charles’ Coronation.
The union has warned already that strikes may continue ‘all the way until the next General Election’, which is expected to take place in autumn 2024.
BMA sources have already told The Guardian that strikes could continue ‘all the way through to the next General Election’. But no dates for further action have been confirmed.
Dr Trivedi today warned the BMA is ‘reserving the right for further industrial action’ if the Government doesn’t negotiate.
One NHS official, speaking anonymously to The Times, warned that the ‘real harms will occur afterwards’, as medics battle overcrowded wards, while scrambling to discharge patients and reschedule procedures.
They warned that the health service hasn’t recovered from the previous junior doctors’ strike in March and it would be ‘perfectly reasonable’ to expect the NHS to take a ‘month or more to recover’ from the current walkouts.
They source said: ‘It’s important to recognise that the harm of the strike happens afterwards; there’s this perception that it falls out of the news and everything goes back to normal and that’s not the case. Teams will be run ragged.’
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘The junior doctors’ strike this week will cause huge disruption to patient care.
‘Where is the Prime Minister and why hasn’t he tried to stop it?
‘Rishi Sunak says he ‘wouldn’t want to get in the middle of’ NHS pay disputes.
‘Patients are crying out for leadership, but instead they are getting weakness.’
Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Health and Social Care spokesperson, said: ‘By refusing to talk to junior doctors, Steve Barclay is putting our NHS and thousands of patients at unnecessary risk.
‘We need to recall Parliament so Conservative ministers can be held to account.
‘The Government needs to get round the table immediately to resolve this impending crisis facing our NHS.
‘NHS staff deserve a fair deal but this Health Secretary has slammed the door on urgent talks.’
Dr Emma Runswick, deputy chair of the BMA Council, warned that medics in their droves are leaving the NHS to work for better pay, terms and conditions abroad.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that colleagues are ‘frequently going to Australia, New Zealand and Ireland’.
The BMA is highlighting low pay as part of a new advertising campaign in support of the pay dispute by junior doctors in England.
It claimed that three junior doctors would make just £66.55 between them for taking out your appendix.
Three doctors with ten, seven and one year of experience would make just £28, £24.46, and £14.09, respectively, by performing the potentially life-saving procedure, the BMA said.
However, the Government said the campaign is ‘misleading’ as it fails to account for the ‘additional earning capacity and pay progression available to junior doctors’.
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