NHS England approach to doctors' strike ‘seriously risky', BMA warns
'We've had proven systems over the last decade that have made sure that where we have to take strike action, senior doctors cover urgency and critical care,' she said.
'This time round, NHS England are pushing for the continuation of non-urgent and scheduled care in a way that we think at best is confusing and will create on-the-day cancellations – and at worst could be risky and lead to harm in emergency departments and on wards, because senior doctors cannot physically be in two places at once.
'We think that a notional guidance from NHS England which is saying that basically all scheduled work should continue to go ahead has potential to be seriously risky for patients.'
Her comments come amid an escalating row between NHS bosses and the BMA over how hospitals should respond to the strike, which is due to begin at 7am on Friday.
During previous rounds of industrial action in 2023 and 2024, NHS England told trusts to cancel large volumes of non-urgent care so that consultants could step in to cover emergency services.
But under the leadership of new NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey, hospitals have now been instructed to cancel non-urgent work only in 'exceptional circumstances' – and only with prior approval.
The BMA argues this new approach risks spreading non-striking doctors too thinly, with Dr Runswick warning: 'Senior doctors are needed to be freed up in order to provide urgency and critical care.
'We think the vast majority of planned and unscheduled care should be shifted.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has ruled out any additional pay rise (Lucy North/PA)
'There are always, in every hospital, local medical managers, local clinical leaders, who will make decisions about what is safe to go ahead – but trying to maintain scheduled care during this strike is not safe in many cases.'
When asked why the union could not avoid strikes altogether, she said walkouts can be delivered safely if planned properly.
'Strikes by doctors do not have to be risky,' she said. 'Strikes by doctors have been run safely in 2016 and 2022, 2023, 2024.
'We are entirely capable of running strikes safely – they just have to be planned for with local medical leadership, and we've done that before. We can do it again.'
She said the BMA was still hopeful a resolution could be reached before the walkout begins and was 'keen to work with NHS England to ensure they are best planned for the safest care'.
Talks between the Government and the BMA have continued in recent days, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting ruling out any additional pay rise this year but indicating other aspects of the contract – such as student debt, exam fees and working conditions – may be up for negotiation.
Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, were awarded an average 5.4% pay increase this financial year, following a 22% rise over the previous two years.
However, the BMA says real-terms pay has still fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Prostate cancer patients ignored five times before diagnosis
Men with prostate cancer are being turned away by GPs multiple times before they can get a diagnosis. New data show almost 10,000 men a year are being diagnosed with the disease only after at least three visits to their GP. They include thousands of men who were referred for the right tests only after they turned to their family doctor at least five times. Today, The Telegraph is launching a campaign calling for the introduction of targeted screening for prostate cancer. It is also encouraging men to check if they are at risk of the disease. Currently, men are not offered tests, even if they have a family history of the disease. Experts believe there is a growing case for targeted screening, meaning that PSA blood tests would be offered to those at heightened risk of the disease. The UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) is currently considering whether to recommend the rollout of such testing. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, with 55,000 diagnoses and 12,000 deaths annually. When the disease is caught early, it significantly increases the chances of successful treatment and long-term survival. Yet there is no screening programme, despite improvements in back-up diagnostic methods to support blood tests. It is the last major cancer without a screening programme. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, praised The Telegraph's campaign. He said: 'I applaud The Telegraph and its readers for their long history of campaigning for better cancer care. ' As a cancer survivor who owes his life to the NHS I know all too well how important screening is and I would like to see a screening programme in place but it must be evidence-led. 'The UK National Screening Committee is looking at this as a priority – including reviewing the evidence for screening men with a family history of prostate cancer. 'While we wait for the evidence as to whether a screening programme would be safe, accurate and reliable, we are getting on with improving cancer treatment and prevention, as well as funding tens of millions of pounds of research and cutting waiting lists through our Plan for Change.' While there is no prostate cancer screening programme, there is a national breast screening programme for women, with mammograms offered every five years to those between the age of 50 and 70. The NHS data shows that men with prostate cancer fare far worse than women with breast cancer, in securing access to diagnostic tests and prompt treatment. The figures show 18.7 per cent of men with prostate cancer only received a diagnosis after least three visits to their GP. This amounts to 9,724 annually. For women with breast cancer the figure is 7.4 per cent, according to data from the NHS National Cancer Patient Experience Survey. For 5.2 per cent of men with prostate cancer, it took at least five visits, against 2.5 per cent of women with breast disease. The plight of men with prostate cancer has been highlighted by Sir Chris Hoy, a six-time Olympic cycling gold medallist, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer that originated in his prostate in 2023. Despite a family history of prostate cancer – which affected both his father and grandfather – he was never offered PSA tests. Mr Streeting has said that Sir Chris 'makes a powerful argument' about the case for prostate screening, especially where there is a family history of disease. Commenting on the data uncovered by The Telegraph, Oliver Kemp, the chief executive of Prostate Cancer Research, said: 'While these findings are alarming, sadly they confirm what patients have been telling us for years: too many men are slipping through the cracks, with their concerns dismissed time and time again. 'Prostate cancer is being caught far too late because we don't have a system designed to find it early. That's why it remains the second-biggest cancer killer of men in the UK. We urgently need a targeted screening programme to find those at risk early – when they have the best possible chance of survival.' Chiara De Biase, director of health services, equity and improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said men with prostate cancer were subject to 'life-threatening inequalities'. She added: 'Those who've weighed up the pros and cons of PSA testing and made an informed choice to request a test are still being refused. And if you're black, working class, or even live in the North of the UK, you're more likely to get an incurable diagnosis. This is unacceptable and it's getting worse.' She said the situation was worsened by outdated NHS guidelines that tell GPs not to raise the issue of prostate cancer or PSA testing with patients, and rely instead on men to come forward. Ms De Biase added: 'Prostate cancer is the last major cancer without a screening programme. We submitted evidence more than two years ago backing the case for screening the highest-risk men, and we look forward to working with the UKNSC on their decision later this year.' The charity is encouraging all men to use their risk checker to assess their chance of prostate cancer, by going to: Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: 'GPs want the best for their patients and while they are referring more patients to receive a timely cancer diagnosis in secondary care by making appropriate referrals, this can be incredibly challenging as early symptoms may often be vague or indicative of more common and less serious conditions – and some, such as prostate cancer, may not display symptoms until they are already at quite a late stage. 'Cancer screening programmes have potentially saved millions of lives, but screening does not come without risk, including the potential for overdiagnosis and harm to patients as a result, so it's vital that any screening programme is evidence-based and reliable.' Prof Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said: 'The NHS is diagnosing more men with prostate cancer at an early stage than ever before – providing the best chance of success from treatment. 'Prostate cancer symptoms can be hard to distinguish from less serious causes, meaning it can take extra visits to the GP to rule these out, and we would encourage men to continue to come forward if they have any concerns about their health.'
South Wales Argus
10 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Streeting: We are doing everything we can to minimise patient harm during strike
A five-day walkout by resident doctors in England is under way, with members of the British Medical Association (BMA) manning picket lines across the country. The Health Secretary condemned the strike as 'reckless' and said the Government would not allow the BMA to 'hold the country to ransom'. Asked about the risk of patient harm during a visit to NHS England HQ in London, he told the PA news agency on Friday: 'I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have prepared and mobilised to minimise the disruption and minimise the risk of harm to patients. 'We've seen an extraordinary response, including people cancelling their leave, turning up for work, and resident doctors themselves ignoring their union to be there for patients. I'm extremely grateful to all of them. 'What I can't do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients. 'We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA's action is so irresponsible. 'They had a 28.9% pay award from this Government in our first year, there was also an offer to work with them on other things that affect resident doctors – working lives – and that's why I think this is such reckless action. 'This Government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom, and we will continue to make progress on NHS improvement, as we've done in our first year.' Asked about next steps and the continued threat of doctor strikes, given the BMA has a six-month mandate to call more industrial action, Mr Streeting said: 'When the BMA asks, 'what's the difference between a Labour government and a Conservative government?', I would say a 28.9% pay rise and a willingness to work together to improve the working conditions and lives of doctors. Resident doctors are beginning a five-day strike (James Manning/PA) 'That is why the public and other NHS staff cannot understand why the BMA have chosen to embark on this totally unnecessary, reckless strike action.' It comes as NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey told broadcasters on Friday about his different approach to managing the strike, including keeping as much pre-planned care going as possible rather than just focusing on emergency care. 'So the difference this time is the NHS has put a huge effort in to try and get back on its feet,' he said at NHS England HQ in London. 'As everybody's been aware, we've had a really tough period, and you really feel colleagues on the ground, local clinical leaders, clinical operational colleagues etc, really pulling together to try and get the NHS back on its feet. 'And we also learned from the last few rounds of industrial action that harm to patients and disruption to patients was much broader than the original definitions. So we've decided to say it needs to be a broader definition. We can't just focus on that small subset of care. 'Colleagues in the service have tried to keep as much going as humanly possible as well, and the early signs are that that's been achieved so far, but it is early doors. 'In the end, capacity will have to be constrained by the numbers of people we've actually got who do just turn up for work, and what that means in terms of safe provision, because the thing that colleagues won't compromise is safety in the actual delivery. But it does look like people have really heard that. 'They're really pulling together to maximise the range of services possible.' Asked about further strikes, he said: 'It is possible. I would hope not. I would hope after this, we'll be able to get people in a room and resolve the issue. 'But if we are in this with a six month mandate, we could be doing this once a month for the next next six months, but we've got to organise ourselves accordingly.' The Prime Minister has said the strikes will 'cause real damage' (PA) Asked why he was not willing to bump pay from what the BMA calculates is £18 an hour to £22 per hour, Mr Streeting told broadcasters: 'I think the public can see, and other NHS staff can see the willingness this Government showed from day one coming into office to try and deal with what had been over a decade of failure on behalf of the previous government, working with resident doctors to improve their pay and to improve the NHS. 'That's why resident doctors had a 28.9% pay award, and that's why the disruption they are inflicting on the country is so unnecessary and so irresponsible.' Mr Streeting said 'we know there'll be real challenges over the next five days'. He added that patients, particularly those who end up waiting a long time for care due to strikes, 'do come to harm, and however much the BMA try and sugarcoat it, what they are fundamentally doing today is forgetting the three words that should be at the forefront of every doctor's minds every day, which is, 'do no harm'.' On whether strikes are going to become the 'new normal', he added: 'As I've said before, the BMA have had a 28.9% pay award from this Government, and we were willing to go further to help on some of the working conditions that doctors face. 'That offer of joint working, that partnership approach, that hasn't gone away, but it does take two to tango, and I hope that the BMA will reflect very carefully on the disruption they are inflicting on patients, the pressures they're putting on their colleagues, and the circumstances in which they are doing so – a 28.9% pay rise and a government that was willing to work with them. 'Those are not grounds for strike action.' It comes after Sir Keir Starmer made a last-minute appeal to resident doctors, saying the strikes would 'cause real damage'. He added: 'Most people do not support these strikes. They know they will cause real damage… 'These strikes threaten to turn back the clock on progress we have made in rebuilding the NHS over the last year, choking off the recovery.' The BMA has argued that real-terms pay has fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'. The union took out national newspaper adverts on Friday, saying it wanted to 'make clear that while a newly qualified doctor's assistant is taking home over £24 per hour, a newly qualified doctor with years of medical school experience is on just £18.62 per hour'. BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the union had been expecting more pay for doctors. He said: 'Where we were last year when we started the pay campaign, we were down a third on our pay compared to 2008. 'So you've got last year's pay offer which did indeed move us towards (pay restoration), but Wes Streeting himself said that pay restoration is a journey, not an event, implying that there would be further pay restoration to come, and we were expecting our pay to be restored in full – that's our campaign's goal. 'We got part way there, but then that came to a halt this year – we've only had an offer that brings us up, just to catch up with inflation.' Asked what it would take for doctors to go back to work, he said the BMA needed to see 'a clear, guaranteed pathway' to pay restoration. He added that 'it's very disappointing to see a Labour Government taking such a hard line against trade unions'. Elsewhere, the Nottingham City Hospital – where Dr Melissa Ryan, co-chairwoman of the BMA's resident doctors' committee works in paediatrics – reached an agreement with the BMA to exempt one doctor from the strike to work on the neonatal intensive care unit. Speaking from a London picket line, Dr Ryan told The Times: 'I do know that we've granted a derogation already. It is actually at my work, with the babies on one of the neonatal units I work on. That is because it is an intensive care unit for babies. 'We don't have enough senior staff to cover the doctors that aren't there, the residents. And actually, it is important to us that those very sick babies get a lot of care. So we have granted a resident doctor to go back.' A derogation was agreed for one doctor in the emergency department and another doctor in the ISGM at the Northern General Hospital. 'We advise resident doctors to return to work if contacted by the Trust to staff these shifts tonight,' the BMA said in an X post on Friday evening. The BMA said it had also agreed a derogation for two anaesthetists to work at University Hospital Lewisham on Saturday to ensure patient safety. Louise Stead, group chief executive of Ashford and St Peter's and Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trusts, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that around 500 appointments were being rescheduled 'but we are continuing to do about 96% of the work we've had planned'.
The Sun
13 hours ago
- The Sun
NHS strike chaos threatens to spread as paramedics REJECT pay offer on first day of doctors' walkout
NHS strikes threatened to spread yesterday as paramedics in the GMB union voted to reject their annual pay offer. It came as a five-day walkout by hospital resident doctors began over pay, led by the British Medical Association union. NHS chiefs said the health service was still 'open for business'. But ambulance crews and other NHS staff in the GMB union yesterday voted 67 per cent in favour of rejecting their 3.6 per cent offer for this year's pay rise. Paramedics joined nursing strikes in the winter of 2022-23 and could vote to do so again if they cannot get a better offer from Health Secretary Wes Streeting. National Secretary Rachel Harrison said: 'We have written to Wes Streeting, asking him to meet with us to discuss pay and other issues.' The Royal College of Nursing is also angry at getting a lower wage rise than doctors — and hospital consultants with the BMA are also considering striking again. As resident doctors, formerly called junior doctors, kicked off their strike to demand for a 29 per cent pay rise over the 5.4 per cent offer, Mr Streeting warned he could not guarantee patient safety. He said: 'I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have mobilised to minimise the disruption and the risk of harm to patients. 'What I can't do is guarantee there will be none. That's why the BMA's action is so irresponsible.' The BMA has made one exception for its strike so far. It allowed resident doctors to be called in to cover neo-natal intensive care at Nottingham City Hospital to protect newborn babies' lives. Strike leader Dr Melissa Ryan, who works there, said: 'We don't have enough senior staff to cover the doctors that aren't there. "It is important to us that those very sick babies get a lot of care.'
