Striking consultants apologise to patients over NHS disruption but ‘put blame at door of government’
Striking consultants have apologised to patients who are facing delayed or cancelled appointments due to industrial action, but said the government is to blame.
Senior doctors have walked out for 48 hours from 7am this morning in a long running dispute over pay, and are operating on a “Christmas day cover” basis.
NHS England has said the walkout will “hit the NHS hard” as many staff are also taking annual leave with “almost all routine care being affected”.
The government has insisted that talks on pay are over after it said consultants would receive a 6% rise.
The British Medical Association says the increase is insulting, and that consultants have experienced a “35% pay erosion” over the last 14 years.
Dr Den Langhor, an emergency medicine consultant, said the walkouts will only stop if the government come back to the negotiating table.
“We’re really sorry to patients who have had their care disrupted by this but I put the blame firmly at the door of the government,” she said.
“They’re not talking to us, we will stop striking immediately if they come back to us with an offer that’s fair.”
She added: “I came into this to care for patients, that’s where I want to be today, that’s where I want to be all of the time.
“We’re at a point now where this is the last resort.”
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the average annual earnings for senior doctors amount to around four times the national average wage, on top of a generous pension.
He said: “We have accepted the independent pay review body recommendations in full, giving consultants a 6% pay rise, which means average NHS earnings for consultants of £134,000, on top of a pension where generous tax changes mean a consultant can retire at age 65 with a pension each year for life of £78,000 a year. This pay award is final and I urge the BMA to call an end to strikes.”
It was revealed earlier this month that NHS waiting lists had climbed to a record 7.6 million.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made cutting the figure a top priority for his government at the start of 2023 but had previously said strike action, which has been ongoing across the NHS since December 2022, was making it challenging.
Strike action over nine months has led to the cancellation of 839,327 inpatient and outpatient hospital appointments.
Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said: “The Conservatives have given up any attempt to solve strikes in the NHS. Rishi Sunak refuses to speak to doctors and instead shamelessly uses them as an excuse for his failure to cut waiting lists.”
Medics will also strike on 2, 3 and 4 October and are planning to walk out on 19 and 20 of September.