UK hospitals left in a bind after thousands of doctors plan to strike again

Hospitals across the United Kingdom scrambled to limit the predicted loss of life from the upcoming strikes by the country’s National Health Service (NHS) and are reportedly attempting to retain junior doctors by increasing locum pay. The four-day strike which will witness the participation of tens of thousands of doctors in England next week could affect at least a quarter-million medical appointments, said an NHS official, on Saturday (April 8).

What is the strike about?

The strike planned by the junior doctors would be the latest one in a wave of walkouts by public sector workers who are demanding pay hikes to offset inflation that has exceeded 10 per cent in the UK. The country is also in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis as prices for basic commodities from food to fuel have significantly increased.

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This has left many struggling to pay bills as union wages have fallen in real terms over the past decade, across many sectors including healthcare. The four-day walkout by junior doctors will start at 6:59 am (local time) on Tuesday and will continue till 6:59 am (local time), Saturday.

The junior doctors have demanded a 35 per cent pay raise to “reverse the steep decline” they have faced after years of below-inflation pay rises, if granted it would add 20,000 pounds ($24,842) a year to pay packets. They have also sought “full pay restoration” after witnessing a real-term pay cut of 26 per cent since 2008-9, as per the British Medical Association (BMA).

‘Significant’ impact of these strikes sparks concerns

The planhas since sparked fears among NHS leaders and senior clinicians that the strike will lead to the cancellation and postponement of hundreds of thousands of operations and appointments. This has also led hospital trusts to accelerate the discharge of the fittest patients and cancelled the leave for non-striking doctors, reported the Guardian.

“The impact is going to be so significant that this one is likely to impact patient safety, and that is a huge concern for every health care leader,” Dr Layla McCay, policy director at the NHS Confederation told BBC Radio 4. The walkout also follows a three-day strike last month by doctors early in their career that led to 175,000 appointments and procedures being postponed.

Therefore, in a bid to tempt junior doctors whose pay is 14 pounds ($17) an hour, some hospital trusts have increased the rates for locums with one offering up to 50 per cent over the normal locum rate, reported the Guardian citing a rate card sent to staff and posted online by the BMA.

(With inputs from agencies)

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