NHS needs to pick up the pieces after latest junior doctor strikes

Speaking at the end of the latest round of junior doctor strikes Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: 

“Our members will be very relieved that these latest junior doctor walkouts have finished, but their impact will be felt for some time to come. Though it will take a few days for the dust to settle and firm figures to emerge we know that tens of thousands of operations and appointments are likely to have been cancelled.

“Now health leaders and their teams will need to begin picking up the pieces by rescheduling all these so that patients can get the treatments they so desperately need. It is important to remember that it is patients who are bearing the brunt of this ongoing dispute, patients who are often waiting in pain or discomfort for care.

“While we recognise that junior doctors have genuine issues over pay, conditions and training it is questionable that these strikes in the midst of a general election campaign could have moved the dial. We are concerned that so many patients should have their care disrupted when no government was in a position to negotiate.

“We hope that the next government can re-start negotiations and bring this dispute to an end so the NHS can focus on improving performance and cutting waiting lists rather than filling rota gaps and rescheduling appointments.”