Doctor Strike Will Harm Patients, Nhs Boss Warns

The onslaught by resident doctors, which starts connected Friday successful England, is not acceptable because of nan harm it will origin patients, says a elder NHS doctor.

Prof Tim Briggs, who is simply a nationalist head astatine NHS England and has been progressive pinch talks pinch nan BMA connected onslaught planning, says while doctors person a correct to onslaught it should ne'er lead to diligent harm - but it is now clear nan walkouts by resident doctors will harm patients.

Resident doctors – nan caller word for inferior doctors – will start a five-day strike astatine 07:00 BST Friday.

Senior doctors are being asked to supply cover, but Prof Briggs is worried astir nan effect it will person connected some emergency and non-urgent care.

NHS England is aiming to support nan mostly of non-urgent care, specified arsenic knee and hep operations, going during this strike, which marks a alteration successful attack compared pinch erstwhile business action erstwhile specified curen was cancelled en-masse.

The BMA believes this attack is not safe – and says non-urgent attraction should beryllium cancelled successful galore cases to guarantee emergency services are amended covered.

Resident doctors person been progressive successful 11 strikes successful their long-running salary dispute.

They person led to nan cancellation of much than a cardinal treatments and appointments.

Prof Briggs told nan BBC: "We cognize from nan pandemic and nan past onslaught that if you cancel those [non-urgent] patients galore person been waiting a important magnitude of time, those patients travel to harm.

"You cannot decouple elective and emergency care, nan 2 spell together."

He said that was because cancelled operations tin person superior adverse effects connected patients some mentally and physically, citing examples of patients facing agelong waits for a hep replacement and being near connected beardown painkillers incapable to get retired of their chair aliases spell upstairs."

BMA leader Dr Tom Dolphin said: "We are very sorry that strikes person go basal and of people if group person emergencies aliases request urgent attraction they should still coming to nan infirmary aliases their GP arsenic usual, arsenic they ever would.

"Striking is thing that doctors don't want to person to do," he said, adding that nan walkouts could person been avoided if "a existent pathway" had been made connected restoring nan "lost value" of pay.

He said nan BMA was still unfastened to further discussions astir resolving nan dispute.

The onslaught is going up aft talks betwixt nan authorities and BMA collapsed down connected Tuesday.

During 5 days of talks nan 2 sides discussed other financial support for resident doctors to screen nan costs of exam fees and instrumentality arsenic good arsenic faster profession progression.

The BMA asked for a strategy to thief constitute disconnected student loans, but nan authorities rejected this.

Ahead of nan talks, Health Secretary Wes Streeting made it clear he would not revisit this year's salary award.

Resident doctors were fixed an mean emergence of 5.4% - and this came aft an summation of much than 20% complete nan erstwhile 2 years.

Meanwhile, NHS managers person besides criticised what they opportunity are inflated displacement rates being requested by elder doctors to supply screen for striking resident doctors.

Daniel Elkeles, of NHS Providers, which represents wellness managers, said nan onslaught would beryllium a "crushing blow" for patients.

He said different "huge worry" was nan cost, saying nan BMA had recommended elder doctors inquire for "inflated rates" that were "simply unaffordable"

The BMA has recommended elder doctors insist connected premium rates that for consultants tin transcend £300 an hr for nighttime shifts.

This tin mean they tin gain 3 times what they usually would.

The BMA said doctors needed to beryllium incentivised to return connected this other work.