2024-01-03 08:31:00
Written by Rabab Fathi Wednesday, January 3, 2024 10:31 AM
The British newspaper “The Guardian” said that tens of thousands of British patients will be affected starting today, Wednesday, amid massive disruption resulting from… Junior doctors strike in Britain For six days – the longest in the NHS’s 75-year history.
Health charities said people whose appointments have been postponed – including those with cancer and sight problems – will feel anxious, upset and at risk of their condition getting worse because holding off delays them receiving help.
The patients’ association said patient safety might be jeopardized because hospitals had too few staff to handle the strike, which began at 7 a.m. It has urged ministers and the British Medical Association (BMA) to bring in mediators to help settle the long-running dispute over junior doctors’ pay following negotiations ended before Christmas in an impasse.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, director of NHS England, said: “It is likely that many thousands of appointments will be canceled or rescheduled once more, and this is in addition to the 1.2 million appointments canceled over more than a year now with periods of strikes.”
Powis said 13 months of strikes by doctors, nurses and other staff had “had a massive impact on the NHS”. This week’s strike will be the 10th different strike by junior doctors since March. By the time next Tuesday ends, they will have refused to work for 34 days in total.
The previous 28 days of operation have resulted in the rescheduling of nearly one million outpatient appointments and operations.
Powis added that this week’s strike threatens to be the most difficult yet for the NHS to deal with because of its unprecedented length and because the British Medical Association chose to organize it during a week when the service was already “incredibly busy” dealing with a surge in winter illnesses.
“These strikes are the worst time of the year for the NHS,” he stressed.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People expressed concern that many patients “will this week be dealing with the devastating news that their appointment has been cancelled, rescheduled or postponed”. Phil Ambler, the charity’s director in England, added that blind and visually impaired people may not even know that their appointment has been affected, because the news arrived via letter and not in Braille or electronic means.
The patients’ association said the strikes put barriers in the way of patients who often find it difficult to access care. Julie Thallon, acting chair of the charity, said: “Patients should have access to safe and effective care when they need it. The strike is creating barriers to care, on top of the long waiting times many patients are already experiencing. We are deeply concerned that the actions of junior doctors “It might affect the safety of all patients on strike days. Bring mediators if you need, but please find a way out of this impasse.”
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