What?
The National Health Service (NHS) in England is preparing for a significant disruption due to the first strike of consultant doctors and hospital-based dentists in a decade. The strike is expected to take place from 7 a.m. Thursday until 7 a.m. Saturday, with consultants providing only emergency care services during this period.
This comes closely on the heels of the longest period of industrial action in NHS history, a five-day strike by junior doctors, leading to the postponement of tens of thousands of appointments. With consultants unavailable for patient care and supervision of junior doctors, it is predicted that the two-day consultant strike will significantly affect planned care and result in even more postponed appointments.
Why?
The strike action by the consultants follows a protracted period of industrial unrest within the NHS. This escalated dispute has been largely due to dissatisfaction over pay. Despite the government’s announcement of pay increases for public sector workers, including a 6% raise for doctors and hospital consultants, the British Medical Association (BMA) dubbed this increase as a “savage real-terms pay cut” and dismissed it as “derisory.”
Furthermore, the recent five-day junior doctors’ strike has left the NHS services struggling to recover, with consultants’ strike posing an even bigger challenge. The cumulative impact of these industrial actions, now in its eighth month, has affected over 600,000 appointments, according to NHS England.
Many doctors are retiring or leaving the NHS for the promise of better pay and work-life balance overseas or in the private sector. This is growing at a rate that may exceed the numbers recruited to replace them. This drain of talent has the potential to create a chasm at the top of the healthcare chain, meaning specialist services will have fewer doctors to deliver them, leading to longer waiting times and possibly worsened outcomes for patients.
How Does It Affect You?
For patients reliant on the NHS, the current industrial actions can lead to severe disruption in their healthcare. As routine care is virtually at a standstill for 48 hours, thousands of appointments will be affected, and operations will be postponed. Consequently, patients may experience longer wait times and delays in their scheduled treatments.
For those with health concerns during this period, it’s recommended that they continue to use 999 for life-threatening emergencies and NHS 111 online for other health issues. A&E will remain open at the usual times in your local hospital, though waiting times may be increased. It should be noted, emergency care (including A&E and Intensive Care) is not affected by strike action, so patients should feel confident that urgent issues will be addressed.
GP services and pharmacies will remain accessible and should be used for non-emergency issues. If you have a planned appointment and haven’t been informed of any changes, you should proceed as planned. Many appointments will already have been changed or moved in the lead-up to the strike to minimise disruption.
In the wake of this strike, patients must understand their options and optimise their use of available NHS services. It’s crucial to appropriately utilise emergency and non-emergency services based on the urgency of health concerns to avoid overloading the limited resources during the strike. Above all, it’s essential for patients to be patient during these unprecedented times and cooperate with the healthcare providers who are still working tirelessly to provide care under challenging circumstances.
In summary, while these industrial actions create temporary disruption, it’s vital to remember that the goal of these healthcare workers is to protect the NHS and ensure the provision of quality care for all patients in the long term.
As always, best wishes from myHSN!
