NHS Confederation responds to data showing the impact of industrial action by junior doctors in July

Responding to the publication of statistics by NHS England detailing the impact of the industrial action taken by junior doctors in July, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

“Despite being over five days, this latest round of industrial action from junior doctors saw fewer operations and appointments cancelled than previously, showing leaders are now reluctantly adept at implementing plans to mitigate the effects of strikes. It again highlights the resilience of staff and the NHS’s remarkable ability to navigate its way through a crisis.

“But there is to be no let up as another round of industrial action almost immediately kicks off from another section of staff, and leaders are deeply concerned by the uncertainty the consultants strike has thrust upon the NHS.

“The last time this happened was over a decade ago, so this will be something of an unknown quantity, and leaders will have looked back on that to help with their preparations, but they know that other practitioners cannot substitute for consultants and cannot deliver what they usually would without senior clinical supervision.

“With further strikes to come on top of this, by the time winter begins we may well have seen over a million operations and appointments cancelled as the result of cumulative industrial action.

“There is little chance of recovery or the Prime Minister’s pledge to bring down waiting lists while this continues. We can’t go on this way and need all parties to settle this dispute now.”