Junior doctors in England went on their 26th day of strike action today and it is expected to cause major disruption to patients. The strike is due to last for three days and emergency services will be provided by senior doctors. Since last year, over 1.1 million appointments and treatments have been cancelled due to NHS strike action. This latest walk-out is to be followed by a six-day strike at the start of January, set to be the longest in NHS history.
The strike comes after the British Medical Association (BMA) failed to reach an agreement with the government. The situation is complicated further by the holiday season, taking place during a period when only four weekdays in the NHS are unaffected by holidays or industrial action. NHS England’s medical director has expressed concern about the strikes causing “huge disruption” to the NHS, which is already struggling with winter pressures. He urged people who need medical help to come forward, but some A&E services are still having to close during strike action.
Five national organisations, including Age UK and the Patients Association, pleaded with the BMA not to take the strike action. They asked instead for it to be downgraded to a partial walkout, with some emergency cover provided by junior doctors. However, the BMA rejected this proposal. Nearly half of NHS doctors are junior doctors, and two-thirds are members of the BMA. This group includes doctors who are just out of university as well as some with more than ten years’ experience. It is expected that hospitals will suffer the most, but GP care will also be affected.
Strike action in the NHS in England began last December with walkouts by ambulance staff and nurses and has already cost over £2bn in planning, preparation and cover costs
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