Junior doctors this week resumed strike action through what has been the longest walkout in NHS history.
It comes amid services across England reportedly facing “significant demand” and one hospital saying waiting times in A&E may be pushed “up to 11 hours”.
Strikes began on December 20 after talks broke down between a union and the Government. However, many have expressed concern about the disruption caused and that health services will be brought to a complete halt.
National medical director for the NHS in England, Professor Stephen Powis, said the strike coincides with “one of the busiest and most challenging weeks of the year” as the NHS grapples with increased pressure from winter viruses and a rise in people coming forward who delayed seeking help over the holidays.
Sir Stephen continued: “As the longest strike in the history of the NHS begins during one of the busiest and most challenging weeks of the year – the health service is experiencing the winter pressures of flu and Covid, combined with the huge disruption of industrial action."
Junior doctors were offered a three per cent rise on top of the average 8.8 per cent increase they were already given in the summer.
But the British Medical Association (BMA) said the cash would have been split unevenly across different doctor grades and would “still amount to pay cuts for many doctors”.
How have hospitals been affected?
The NHS is facing weeks of major disruption at a time when services are already under significant winter pressure, England’s health leaders have warned. Some of the following hospitals that have seen the significant impacts of strike action include:
Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth: It said its A&E department was “full” as it declared a critical incident.
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust: It said it’s facing “extreme pressure” with waiting times in A&E of “up to 11 hours”.
Warwick Hospital: The hospital warned that it is under “extreme heightened pressure” while Airedale Hospital said its emergency department is “exceptionally busy”.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals: Warned that its hospitals are “under significant pressure”.
Health officials in East Sussex, South Tees, Gateshead, Greater Manchester, Berkshire, Rotherham, and the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, have also reported being “busy”.
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Health officials in Wigan said emergency services were “very busy” and that doctors were seeing “a lot of minor illnesses that could have been treated elsewhere, such as a GP surgery or pharmacy”.
What to do if your appointment is cancelled
The latest strikes by junior doctors are expected to cause widespread disruption, including the impact on almost all routine care.
In more than a full calendar year of action, strikes have seen more than 1.1million inpatient and outpatient appointments rescheduled.
Your hospital or doctor is likely to contact you if your appointment has been cancelled with information on what to do next.
The NHS is reminding people that they should continue to use services as they normally would when they need urgent medical help – using 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies.
Are GP appointments affected by strikes?
The NHS have assured that GPs and pharmacies will be unaffected by strike action. It said: “People should still come forward to access the care they need in the usual way – in a life-threatening emergency, 999 and use A&E. For everything else, use 111 online. Pharmacies and GPs are unaffected by the strikes, so patients can still get appointments and health advice.”
