Routine hospital care is expected to come to a standstill over the next 48 hours as consultants in England strike amid the bitter row over pay between medics and the Government.
As the strike began on Thursday morning the British Medical Association (BMA) threatened a three-day walkout by consultants later in the year, in the absence of any progress in discussions with Government.
They will also strike for 72 hours between 2 and 4 October – the longest period of action by consultants so far. Medics are also planning to walk out on 19 and 20 September.
NHS leaders are anticipating “major disruption” during the current walkout, with thousands of the most senior hospital doctors expected to be absent from work. Tens of thousands of operations are expected to be cancelled.
Consultants have been covering the work of junior doctors during the latter’s industrial action but as they are the most senior medics in hospital, the reverse scenario cannot happen leaving trusts facing worse disruption.
Consultants will still provide “Christmas Day cover” during the strikes, which means emergency care will be provided.
It is the second round of strikes consultants have staged in the current dispute, with thousands of medics absent from work during the first walkout in July.
Concerns have also been raised about the timing of the latest strike – just before the bank holiday weekend – which could put many services out of action for five days. Many staff will be on annual leave and warmer weather seen in recent days could see a hike in demand for care, NHS leaders said.
The Government has insisted talks on pay are over after it said consultants would receive a 6 per cent rise. The BMA has condemned the increase as “insulting”, claiming consultants have experienced a “35 per cent pay erosion” over the past 14 years.
NHS England’s national medical director for secondary care, Dr Vin Diwakar, said: “This latest action will again hit the NHS hard, with almost all routine care being affected. It also comes at a time when many staff are taking annual leave, so teams are already stretched, and some parts of the country have seen warm weather this week, which usually leads to an additional rise in demand for services, so we would ask people to take the usual precautions.
“We are working closely with unions to ensure we prioritise urgent and emergency care for patients, as ever, but there is no doubt that it becomes harder each time to bring routine services back on track following strikes, and the cumulative effect after nearly nine months for patients, staff and the NHS as a whole is enormous.”
People should continue to use 999 for life-threatening emergencies and NHS 111 for other health concerns, officials said. GP and pharmacies are largely unaffected.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, added: “A two-day strike by senior doctors just before a bank holiday weekend and when many staff are on well-deserved summer holidays is a massive headache for the NHS. Trust leaders have once again put plans in place for cover and to minimise disruption as far as possible. But that gets harder and more expensive with every strike.
“Official figures show more than 897,000 routine procedures and appointments have been delayed due to strikes across the NHS since December. The true figure, including appointments that weren’t booked in because of industrial action, is likely to be significantly higher. And strikes have cost the NHS an estimated £1bn. The Government and unions must find a solution urgently.”
Dr Vishal Sharma, the BMA consultants committee chairman, said: “No consultant wants to be striking and we head out to picket lines today 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.
“By refusing to talk to us – and it’s now been 150 days since the Health Secretary met with us – it just shows that the Government is not serious about the NHS, its workforce or patients. Our message to the Prime Minister is that we are serious about protecting the consultant workforce and thereby the NHS and patients.
“We are striking today, and will do so again in September and October, but the Prime Minister has the power to avert any further action at all, by getting around the table and presenting us with a credible offer. 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.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay, said he was “concerned and disappointed” with the industrial action, which he said will continue to affect patients and hamper efforts to cut NHS waiting lists. The Prime Minister has made cutting waiting lists one of his five central pledges to the nation.
Mr Barclay said: “I’m aware some consultants cut short their annual leave over the most recent periods of industrial action by the BMA Junior Doctors Committee and I am incredibly grateful to those staff who came forward to help protect patients and services.
“We have accepted the independent pay review body recommendations in full, giving consultants a 6 per cent 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. This pay award is final and I urge the BMA to call an end to strikes.”
Labour accused the Tories of “giving up any attempt” to solve the NHS strikes. Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said: “Patients don’t want excuses, they want action. If the Conservatives have given up on governing, they should step aside and let Labour clean up their mess.”
