NHS officials have warned that doctors’ strikes this week are likely to cause disruption to patient care “unlike anything before”, as Wednesday will see consultants and junior doctors taking joint strike action for the first time in the escalating dispute over pay.
Junior doctors in England, who have already staged five days of industrial action this year, will now strike again from 20 to 22 September – the first day of which coincides with action by consultants.
With close to 1 million appointments and treatments having been postponed in England since industrial action began in December, and waiting lists hitting a record high, NHS trust leaders have expressed serious concerns about the impact on patient care.
The deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said: “This week’s industrial action, including a joint walkout by consultants and junior doctors for the first time, is likely to cause disruption to patient care unlike anything we’ve seen before.
“The continuing dispute – and the absence of meaningful dialogue between the two sides – is worrying for patients, demoralising for staff, and damaging for the NHS.”
In recent weeks, there have been reports of patients having their operations delayed multiple times. At least one trust has deployed volunteers for the first time, to support patients with meals and drinks and provide company in the emergency department during strikes.
Others have said they are worried that senior doctors are increasingly unwilling to cover shifts when junior doctors are striking.
Cordery added: “Patients have been left paying the price, with concerns mounting about the deteriorating quality of life for those who continue to face long delays to their care.
“Trust leaders have told us that month after month of strike action is also having a huge impact on staff morale, resilience and teamwork, with frontline staff growing increasingly fatigued as this dispute drags on.”
The British Medical Association says a 35% pay rise is needed for junior doctors to make up for what it says are 15 years of below-inflation wage rises.
NHS industrial action is estimated to have cost at least £1bn so far, and last week, Rishi Sunak said the government’s target to reduce the hospital waiting list in England was in doubt. The prime minister said it would be “very hard” to reduce the waiting list by next March as promised and added: “Industrial action is a significant cause of that.”
The Labour shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, said blaming striking doctors was “deeply cynical” and amounted to looking for a scapegoat. He said the breakdown of talks with the BMA was “gross incompetence” by Sunak.
Junior doctors in England are due to strike again from 2 to 4 October, when consultants will also be stopping work.
• This article was amended on 18 September 2023 to clarify that the doctors’ strikes are planned in England only, not across the UK.
