The consultants took part in picketing today in their ongoing dispute with the Government over salaries.
Senior doctors They left England’s hospitals at 7am this morning as part of a 48-hour strike and are giving a ‘naked’Christmas Daily service level, meaning routine appointments and operations will be significantly disrupted.
Junior doctors will go on joint strike action with consultants tomorrow, for the first time in the health service’s 75-year history, marking an escalation in the dispute.
Striking doctors claim their salaries have been cut over the past 15 years, but officials say they have already made their final pay offer and patients are at risk.
Here, MailOnline details everything you need to know about the action and how it could affect you.
Senior doctors walked out of hospitals at 7am this morning as part of a 48-hour strike and are providing a simplified “Christmas Day” level of service, meaning routine appointments and operations are will be significantly disrupted. Pictured: Consultants pictured on September 19 outside Bristol and Weston University Hospital.
Young doctors will go on joint strike action with senior doctors tomorrow for the first time in the health service’s 75-year history, marking an escalation in the dispute. Pictured: Consultants pictured on September 19 outside Bristol and Weston University Hospital.
Who is on strike this week and when?
Consultants and junior doctors in England are carrying out a strike this week, coordinated by the British Medical Association (BMA).
Senior doctors will retire from 7am today until 7am Thursday.
This includes 24 hours of joint action with young doctors from 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday to 7:00 a.m. on Thursday.
Junior doctors will take part in picketing from 7am on Wednesday to 7am on Saturday.
What services will be affected?
Many hospital appointments and routine treatments, including cancer care, have been postponed as a result of strikes by doctors and consultants.
Some hospitals have had to halve their normal activity levels on strike days.
However, patients have been urged to continue attending their appointment if they have not been informed it has been cancelled, as some doctors are still working.
There will be ‘Christmas Day’ cover at all hospitals on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with staffed emergency units and a basic level of ward cover.
On Thursday and Friday, during the junior doctors’ strike, there will be a “full strike”, meaning consultants will be used to provide cover in hospitals.
GP services and pharmacies are expected to operate as normal during the strikes, although some junior doctors work in GP surgeries so some practices may be affected from Wednesday.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, He said: ‘The NHS has simply never seen this type of industrial action in its history. It poses a huge challenge.”
Professor Powis urged the public to use the NHS “wisely” to ensure care reaches those who need it most.
It said to only call 999 or attend A&E for life-threatening emergencies and otherwise contact NHS 111 for non-urgent needs.
Why do they attract attention?
The BMA maintains that junior doctors and consultants have seen their salaries erode over the past 15 years, meaning they have not kept up with inflation.
As a result, doctors’ pay has decreased by approximately 35 percent, the union claims.
Junior doctors have asked for a total salary increase of 35 per cent, while consultants have set their salary demand at 11 per cent.
For comparison, the Government has offered junior doctors a pay rise of between 8.1 and 10.3 per cent, depending on their level.
The average junior doctor in their first year of training will see their salary rise from £29,300 to £32,300, while a doctor with three years’ experience will see a rise from £40,200 to £43,900.
Meanwhile, consultants’ salaries will increase by six percent. It means the starting basic salary has increased from £88,300 to £93,600. The average income for consultants is expected to be £134,000 a year, after including overtime and on-call payments.
Why are healthcare leaders most concerned about these strikes?
NHS bosses have long warned that strikes mean disruption for patients, with almost 1 million appointments and operations canceled during nine months of strikes.
For this round of action, health chiefs are warning that a growing number of patients who have already had their operations canceled due to a strike are having their rescheduled appointments canceled again.
This includes a growing number of cancer patients.
The NHS Confederation has warned that the BMA is now putting “more patients at risk than ever” and describes the situation as “dangerous”.
What impact will the strikes have on patients?
Hospitals report that some patients have had their appointments canceled up to three times due to the strike.
Health leaders say there is a “clear risk” that some patients’ health will deteriorate the longer they are left to wait.
While NHS bosses report that around 1 million deliveries have been rescheduled due to the strikes, the true toll is believed to be much higher.
This is because hospitals are now not booking patients for strike days, meaning the true magnitude of the impact will not be reflected in official data.
Is there any end in sight to the NHS strikes?
Health Secretary Steve Barclay and the BMA, which is coordinating strikes by consultants and junior doctors, have not met for more than three months.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the Government’s payment offer is fair and final.
But BMA leaders have said they will only suspend action if they are presented with a further pay rise and ‘“We cannot cancel strikes to simply start talks.”
This suggests there is no end in sight, with the union warning that without a deal, strikes will continue into the winter.
