Heads of hospitals and doctors’ offices are “more concerned than with any other strike,” Layla McCay, director of an umbrella organization for the national health service, told the BBC on Saturday. Up to a quarter of a million appointments and operations might therefore be canceled and postponed.
The strike, which is due to begin Tuesday, is also expected to impact patient safety, McCay said. “This is a major concern for all healthcare leaders.”
After an unprecedented wave of strikes in the British health service NHS, the government recently reached an agreement in the wage dispute with the unions for most occupational groups. The residents, however, announced further strikes. They are demanding a 35 percent pay rise to compensate for 15 years of pay growth being below inflation.
No area is spared
The British Medial Association union announced that it would not spare any areas of the health service – including those where patient safety is at risk. However, there is an emergency plan that provides that striking residents can be called to the hospital if the lives of patients are in immediate danger.
The union called UK Health Secretary Steve Barclay to meet over the Easter holiday to resolve the dispute. “All we want is a serious offer so that we can talk regarding this drop in real wages and start negotiations,” a union representative said, according to the BBC. The Conservative government, on the other hand, is asking the union to call off the strike. Only then are negotiations possible.
