More than nine million people could soon be on the NHS waiting list unless industrial action by doctors is “immediately” brought to an end, a senior medic has warned PMGallagher1 reports
More than nine million people in England could soon be on the NHS waiting list unless industrial action by doctors is “immediately” brought to an end, a senior medic has warned.
The Government has told consultants they will receive a 6 per cent pay rise but the British Medical Association has called this “derisory” and saidLast year, leaked NHS England modelling revealed officials believed an “optimistic scenario” was the waiting list for routine NHS care peaking at 9.2 million in March 2024, just under one in six of the population. This was before strike action by nurses, doctors and other NHS staff was even announced.in Parliament.
Trusts are reverting to Christmas Day cover on Thursday and Friday meaning, in many cases, that consultants will be “on call” over the two days. The 48-hour action is likely to have an even bigger impact than, which saw more than 100,000 appointments and operations cancelled, as almost no hospital activity can occur unless it is supervised by a named consultant.
NHS Providers chief executive Sir Julian Hartley urged the Government and unions to re-enter negotiations on pay in order to end the walk outs. He said consultants chose to strike “with a heavy heart”.:”Every strike in the NHS derails trusts’ efforts to bear down on backlogs and reduce the record-high waiting list. As consultants are the most senior doctors, this walkout will likely be the most disruptive yet.
The father-of-two, who has been a doctor since 1996 and a consultant since 2013, said: “No strike is a celebration and I cannot make a fuss about this. This is a really sad day. I have my stethoscope in my bag. I want to get a text from the BMA saying: ‘We have enough movement to get back into work.’
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