Impact of latest junior doctors strike revealed ahead of six-day new year walk-out
Junior doctors were on strike for more than 1,800 shifts at Black Country hospitals over three days last week.
The British Medical Association (BMA) action saw junior doctors walking out for three days of strikes, from Wednesday, December 20, to Saturday, December 23.
Strikes came amid the ongoing dispute between the Government and the BMA over demands for an increase in pay for junior doctors.
The three-day walkout is set to be followed by an unprecedented six-day strike, from 7am on January 3 to 7am on January 9.
Data released by NHS England shows the impact of the latest action on the region's hospitals.
Across the three days at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, junior doctors were on strike for a total of 1,835 shifts.
The walkouts have also had an impact on patients, with a total of 1,936 outpatient appointments or elective procedures cancelled at the four trusts.
Over the three days, 862 were rescheduled at the Sandwell and West Birmingham trust, 416 at the Wolverhampton trust, 332 at the Dudley trust and 326 at the Walsall trust.
Ahead of the walkout local health bosses had warned of 'significant' disruption for both the December strike and the forthcoming January action.
Dr Ananta Dave, chief medical officer for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, had said: “We’re approaching what is already one of the busiest times of the year for the NHS and there is no doubt that this level of planned strike action alongside the festive period will create an even greater strain on many of our services."
Across the country 86,329 inpatient and outpatient appointments had to be rescheduled in the latest action.
Responding to the data on the impact of the strikes, NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: "This latest round of strike action over the festive period has put an already overloaded heath service under significantly more pressure – three days of strike action, ending two days before Christmas, has seen more than 86,000 more appointments rescheduled for patients needing care.
“As well as having an impact on planned care, industrial action is putting pressure on wider services, and prioritising emergency care takes staff away from other areas such as recovering services.
“With another six-day walkout coming in the new year at what is one of the busiest times for the health service, strike action is once again going to bring significant challenges to the NHS as it struggles to provide for patients amid severe disruption.
“As ever, over the festive period, we encourage people to attend A&E and call 999 in life-threatening emergencies, but to use 111 online for other health needs.”
