More than 175,000 patient appointments and procedures had to be cancelled in UK because of the strike action by junior doctors. With these figures, this is the most disruptive NHS strike.
Tens of thousands of medics took part in the 72-hour strike, with more senior colleagues asked to fill in. The British Medical Association said it would not announce new strike action while the negotiations were taking place.
Many scheduled treatments were rescheduled due to the strike, while emergency care was provided by consultants.
NHS England medical director, Prof. Sir Stephen Powis, stated that “Despite the huge efforts that NHS staff made to keep patients safe and minimise disruption, this strike was on an unprecedented scale and had a greater impact than all the other industrial action we have seen so far this winter combined.
“Over 175,000 appointments and procedures were rescheduled to protect emergency, critical and urgent care for patients, which will inevitably impact on efforts to tackle the Covid backlog.”
The NHS task has been made even more difficult due to COVID; there are still 7.2 million people on waiting lists for treatment in the UK.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it regrets the cancellation of appointments but was “pleased” the BMA had agreed to enter talks, on the same terms as unions representing the other NHS workers.
It added the government was seeking a “fair settlement which recognises the crucial role of junior doctors and the wider economic pressures facing the UK”.
The BMA is calling for a 35% raise for the striking junior doctors.
Junior doctors represent nearly half of the medical workforce in the UK and include those who have just graduated from university, through to some with 10 years of experience. No fewer than 86,000 were partaking in the industrial action.
Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Rob Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, stated that, “Every day junior doctors despair as they see operations cancelled and treatment postponed for the millions on the waiting lists because our health services are in crisis.
“But rescheduling appointments as a result of the strike action could have been avoided if the health secretary had come to the table and negotiated an agreed settlement with us before any strike action was taken.
“The NHS had more than two months’ notice that we would strike for 72 hours if the ballot was successful; the government has been in no doubt about our campaign for full pay restoration for over six months and this has been borne out by the number of junior doctors in England who have taken part in the industrial action.”
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