NHS Confederation responds to latest round of industrial action by junior doctors
Commenting on the start of the latest round of industrial action by junior doctors, Rory Deighton, director of the acute network at the NHS Confederation said:
“The NHS has become used to managing the disruption caused by industrial action so patients should feel assured their local services are doing everything they can to prioritise those with the greatest clinical need and provide safe services for patients. However, each wave of strikes chips away at the NHS’s resilience, impacting on staff, internal relationships and their ability to deliver on government pledges to reduce the elective backlog.
“A particular challenge this time will be securing the level of consultant cover for absent junior doctors due to ongoing local negotiations on the overtime payments. In reality this means that it is still uncertain exactly how many planned procedures and appointments will need to be scaled back and rescheduled. The national advice remains that patients should assume their care will continue unaffected unless told otherwise.
“With the BMA having announced its intention to reballot its members for a mandate for a further six months of strikes and with industrial action from consultants, radiographers and nurses a possibility, the short-term outlook feels gloomy. A resolution is desperately needed, and we urge the government to search for a resolution to this dispute.”
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