As NHS leaders gear up for a grueling week of challenges, they are also concerned about a junior doctors’ strike in Wales that is set to start on Monday. The strike will last three days, and it is due to a pay dispute between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Welsh government. With the winter pressures already causing significant stress to the NHS, the strike could have a knock-on effect on the capacity of the NHS to balance electives and handle urgent care. The Welsh NHS Confederation director Darren Hughes said that NHS bosses were worried that these strikes were taking place “on one of the most pressurised weeks of the year, following recent weeks of significant winter pressures.”
Nearly 4000 junior doctors based in Wales, including those in the first year of their career as a doctor, as well as those on the brink of becoming a consultant, are part of this strike action. During the ballot on industrial action, 65% of junior doctors voted, and 98% backed a walkout. The BMA in Wales said that its members “have been forced to take this difficult decision” due to a reduction in their pay of almost a third during the past 15 years. Health Minister Eluned Morgan said that she understood the frustration but reiterated that there was no more money to offer, and that if the government was to find more funds, it would have to be cut from other parts of the NHS.
One health board has already postponed 80% of planned operations and 75% of outpatient appointments due to the strike. Nearly, 25% of all junior doctors in Wales work for the Cardiff and Vale University health board, which provides a significant proportion of highly specialised treatments such as neurosurgery and transplants. Despite being given a 5% rise by the government, which falls below the 6% recommended by the independent remuneration body, the Cardiff and Vale University health board’s members are still joining the strike action. The strike is expected to mainly affect hospitals, and health boards have advised people to check the NHS 111 Wales website first to find out the most appropriate service for their needs
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