Crisis in the NHS as junior doctors strike for 35% rise

Now health chiefs admit cancer care may suffer

THE NHS was brought to its knees yesterday as tens of thousands of junior doctors started a 72-hour strike that hit emergency and cancer care.

Half a million appointments are expected to be cancelled this week as up to 47,600 medics below the rank of consultant walk out in pursuit of a 35 per cent pay rise.

Health leaders have warned of ‘extensive disruption’ and say it will have a significantly worse impact than the strikes by nurses, physiotherapists and ambulance workers.

The doctors, who make up half the medical workforce, have refused to agree any exemptions and many did not inform their employer of their intention to strike. it led some trusts to cancel all routine procedures in advance, while others were forced to call off operations at short notice.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, urged the public to use the NHS ‘responsibly’. He said: ‘even with consultants and staff from other services working together to fill shifts, emergency care and other departments are still facing very high pressure.’

Figures showing the number of cancelled appointments across the three days are expected to be published on Friday. The British Medical Association (BMA) union has told consultants they should demand up to £4,832 a day to cover for striking juniors along with time off to recover afterwards, meaning the disruption will last for more than just the three strike days. More than 100,000 appointments have already been postponed this winter as a result of industrial action.

On Friday, Health Secretary Steve Barclay invited the BMA to talks but the union rejected this, saying there were ‘unacceptable’ preconditions and that the offer came ‘too late’.

Professor Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS england, said the strike may be the worst in the history of the health service.

He told Times radio: ‘ We’ve been focusing on ensuring that emergency care, A&e, critical care and maternity services are maintained, but that’s going to come, unfortunately, at the expense of other services, such as routine appointments and some surgery.’

He added that cancer care was likely to be affected, saying the NHS was doing ‘ everything we can to ensure that urgent cancer procedures go ahead, but even some of those may be affected this week’.

Junior doctors said heavy workloads, poor living standards due to real-terms pay cuts and stress were reasons for striking yesterday. A junior doctor can typically earn around £38,000 in their first year of training, rising to £55,000 in their third year, according to the Department of Health.

Paul Smith, a first year trainee at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said he was struggling to pay for living costs while also having to find £3,000 since August to cover course fees, professional fees and exams.

Prime Minister rishi Sunak said on Sunday it was very disappointing that the junior doctors’ union was not engaging with the government.

‘Worst in history of the service’