Junior doctors stage the longest strike in the history of the NHS and if just one or two senior doctors end up sick then plans to cover the industrial action will be in “jeopardy.”
Hospital chiefs are warning that the strike action will be “incredibly tough” for the NHS and “patient safety” could be at risk as junior doctor are to strike for six days.
Nick Hulme, chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said “patients are paying the price.”
Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, told LBC Radio: “In order to maintain patient safety as much as possible, get people the care they need as quickly as possible, all the resources available will be concentrated in the most urgent and emergency care.
“And that means that that lots of other care will need to be postponed.
“Plans have been put in place and people have been working very, very hard on these rotas.
“But the rotas are just about covered, so it only takes a consultant or two to go off sick – which, of course, there’s a lot of Covid and flu, norovirus, other winter viruses around at the moment and a couple may go off sick – then that is going to put the entire plan in jeopardy, which is why the leaders across the NHS are so concerned that this is skating on thin ice.”
Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, told LBC Radio: “In order to maintain patient safety as much as possible, get people the care they need as quickly as possible, all the resources available will be concentrated in the most urgent and emergency care. And that means that that lots of other care will need to be postponed.
“Plans have been put in place and people have been working very, very hard on these rotas. But the rotas are just about covered, so it only takes a consultant or two to go off sick – which, of course, there’s a lot of Covid and flu, norovirus, other winter viruses around at the moment and a couple may go off sick – then that is going to put the entire plan in jeopardy, which is why the leaders across the NHS are so concerned that this is skating on thin ice.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “January is typically the busiest time of the year for the NHS and these strikes will have a serious impact on patients across the country.
“I urge the BMA Junior Doctors Committee to call off their strikes and come back to the negotiating table so we can find a fair and reasonable solution to end the strikes once and for all.”
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