NHS braces for ‘worst strike in its history’ tomorrow in three-day action set to have ‘significant and lasting impact on cancer care’ – while teachers’ union refuses to rule out walkouts in exam season
- Up to 60,000 junior doctors across England are due to walk out for three days
- It comes as part of an ongoing dispute over demands for a 35 per cent pay rise
The NHS is bracing for the ‘worst strike in its history’ tomorrow amid three days of walkouts set to have a ‘significant and lasting impact’ on cancer care – as teaching unions refuse to rule out striking during exams.
Up to 60,000 junior doctors across England are due to walk out for three days starting from 7am tomorrow as part of an ongoing dispute over demands for a 35 per cent pay rise.
In a worrying first, even junior doctors working in A&Es will be taking part in the strike, potentially leaving emergency departments critically undermanned.
And the British Medical Association (BMA) union last night issued a stinging letter rejecting a late offer of talks from Health Secretary Steve Barclay.
NHS medical director Sir Stephen Powis has warned it will potentially take months for the health service to recover from the this week’s strikes, with thousands of appointments and procedures set to be cancelled.
People gather on Warren Street in London, ahead of a Support the Strikes march in solidarity with nurses, junior doctors and other NHS staff on Saturday
The British Medical Association (BMA) union last night issued a stinging letter rejecting a late offer of talks from Health Secretary Steve Barclay (pictured)
He told The Times: ‘It is inevitable that the extraordinary pressure caused by what could be the worst strike in NHS history will have a significant and lasting impact on cancer care and routine operations, which will take us some time to recover.’
Sir Stephen added: ‘We have to be really clear that the sheer scale and duration of strike action this week will see severe disruption to NHS services — to a level far beyond what we’ve seen already.
READ MORE: Junior doctors will be able to work part time if strikes lead to a large pay rise, union boss tells colleagues
Her comments come as up to 40,000 junior doctors across England – who already earn £57,000 a year on average – are due to walk out for three days
‘We will only cancel appointments where absolutely necessary, but it will unfortunately be necessary to cancel thousands of routine appointments and procedures across the country.’
Meanwhile, thousands of teachers will walk out of schools on Wednesday in a bitter row over pay – affecting some seven million pupils.
National Education Union general secretary Kevin Courtney says he expects ‘more than half of all schools’ to close as it chases an above inflation pay rise for members and has refused to rule out further strike action during GCSEs and A-level exams this summer.
The full impact of this latest strike will not be known until Wednesday morning, with local councils advising parents to monitor the individual school websites.
Addressing concerns about exams, Mr Courtney said: ‘We will make decisions about further action but our focus is on resolving the dispute. I am not saying anything about exams, we are hoping to resolve this before we get to conference.’
Talks between the unions and government have stalled due to the government’s insistence that strike action by NEU must be cancelled before they will continue negobatiations.
It comes as the NHS already has record waiting lists with more than seven million patients awaiting treatment.
The BMA argues the strike is necessary as junior doctors’ pay has dropped 35 per cent in real terms since 2008 – a figure disputed by Ministers. It wants ‘full pay restoration’ to 2008 levels.
Publicly, the BMA claims emergency care this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be ‘no different to any other day’ – while it has rubbished claims that strikes cost lives. Privately though, some of its key leaders have conceded patients may come to harm.
Co-chairs of the BMA’s junior doctors’ committee Vivek Trivedi (left) and Rob Laurenson speak to the media outside the Department Of Health And Social Care on Thursday
thousands of teachers will walk out of schools on Wednesday in a bitter row over pay – affecting some seven million pupils
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt responded with an olive branch, telling The Mail on Sunday: ‘The Government is willing to talk.’
Hospital sources say they will be unable to run a full emergency service during the strikes, with warnings of A&E being hugely understaffed.
Teacher strike dates
Wednesday, February 1 – England and Wales
Tuesday, February 14 – Wales
Tuesday, February 28 –Northern, North West, Yorkshire & The Humber
Wednesday, March 1 – East Midlands, West Midlands, Eastern
Thursday, March 2 – London, South East, South West
Wednesday, March 15 – England and Wales.
Thursday, March 16 – England and Wales
Junior doctors last took strike action in 2016, but the walkouts this week are due to be more severe.
Consultants will also be balloted for walkouts this week if the government does not meet requests for pay and pensions, the BMA has said.
They are likely to be asked to cover the strike action this week, but have been told by the BMA they should expect payment for working beyond their normal terms and conditions and are not obliged to take on the extra workload.
The BMA told its consultant members: ‘Large numbers of junior doctors are expected to be on strike, and it must be assumed that there will be none available to work. It is essential that patient safety is maintained.
‘The only feasible way for this to be achieved is for your employer to cancel almost all elective [routine] care prior to, during, and after the junior doctors’ action.’
Should the BMA achieve its aims, even freshly-graduated ‘Foundation Year 1’ doctors would be on £50,000, up from £36,500.
But analysis shows the pay of the most junior [Foundation Year 1 & 2] doctors has stagnated more than middle-ranking medics since 2008 – helping explain why the younger crew is leading the charge.
Dr Runswick told a podcast strikes would cause ‘harm’ to patients as they would result in ‘delayed elective care’. One health boss said the next three days would be ‘really, really dangerous’ but that ‘the public doesn’t realise the gravity of the situation’.
A BMA spokeswoman said: ‘Junior doctors are not worth less than they were in 2008/9 and yet this Government continues to undervalue them.’
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