A London hospital reported its busiest Monday so far this year during the junior doctors strike as the walkout entered its third day.
St George’s, Epsom and St Helier’s hospitals in south west London saw more than 1,000 people attend their emergency departments over the course of Monday - despite pleas to only attend A&E in a medical emergency during the strike. It is the equivalent of one person every 90 seconds.
Tens of thousands of junior doctor members of the British Medical Association (BMA) began a 72-hour strike at 7am on Monday in a bitter pay dispute. While consultants have stepped in to cover in emergency care, thousands of appointments and procedures have been cancelled.
In previous paramedic and nursing strikes held over the winter, hospitals have seen admissions to A&E reduce as Britons seek treatment elsewhere.
Epsom and St Helier hospitals surpassed 500 attendances in their emergency departments on Monday for only the second time in 2023, while the 475 attendances at St George’s was the second busiest Monday this year.
Dr Richard Jennings, Group Chief Medical Officer for St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group, said: “Our hospitals are busier than ever, and Monday was a challenging day for everyone.
“We’ve worked very hard to prepare for these strikes, but it’s inevitable that services across our hospitals are affected.
“We are always here for those who need care – and if it’s an emergency or life-threatening, or you have an appointment, you must continue to come forward. But to everyone else, I make this plea: use our services wisely, and help us to ensure we can provide care to those who are most in need.”
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said its emergency departments were “extremely busy” and urged Londoners to seek treatment elsewhere unless they have a life-threatening emergency. The Trust said that only one person should accompany each patient to A&E.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust said it would have to rearrange more than 2,000 outpatient appointments and over 200 non-urgent surgeries as a result of the three-day strike.
The Trust’s chief executive Matthew Trainer said: “We have more gaps in our rotas than we would like, and we would ask the public to think very carefully before they attend Queen’s or King George hospitals. People will face longer waits due to reduced staffing, and people who are not unwell enough to need emergency care may be asked to go elsewhere.
“I have sympathy for the concerns junior doctors have over their pay and conditions. They are a hugely valuable part of our workforce and are the future of the NHS.”
Rory Deighton director of the NHS Confederation's acute network, said that NHS bosses would be "concerned about their ability to get waiting lists down while operating within current constraints".
The BMA says junior doctors’ pay has fallen in real terms by 26 per cent since 2008/09 and reversing this would require a 35.3 per cent pay rise.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has branded the strikes "disappointing" and said he is open to negotiations on pay.
