Hospitals are appealing to patients’ families to be prepared to take them home to ease pressure on the NHS as strike action by trainee doctors continues.
Their pleas came as Health Minister Victoria Atkins accused medics of acting as if they owned the health system after she rejected calls to end the strike in the interest of patient safety.
Her comments came after several trusts asked the British Medical Association to allow some of its members to cross in a bid to ease unbearable pressure on the NHS.
But the BMA has rejected at least 20 such requests, claiming the agreed protocol is being “undermined” by the NHS, which has bowed to “political pressure”.
Meanwhile, some hospitals have asked patients’ families to “stand by” to help during the crisis.
Victoria Atkins has accused doctors of acting as if they own the health system after refusing to end their strike in the interest of patient safety.
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust appealed to family members to “pick up family members who are willing to go home to free up beds for people who need emergency care”.
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust said: “Picking up family and friends from hospital as soon as they are ready for discharge helps free up beds for those who need them.”
Responding to the BMA’s allegations, NHS England wrote to the union saying it was “regrettable” that it had called into question the “integrity and motivation” of clinical leaders who “do everything necessary to ensure the safe care of patients during “Maintenance of sick leave.” Action’.
Around 200,000 operations and appointments are expected to be canceled during the current strikes.
Bosses are particularly concerned about their ability to treat cancer patients who need time-sensitive treatment and pregnant women who need urgent caesareans, the letter said.
Under a system agreed between the NHS and the BMA, hospital bosses can ask some trainee doctors to return to work if there are concerns about patient safety in a particular area – a so-called variation request.
NHS bosses requested a nationwide exemption for services such as emergency maternity care, but it was rejected.
NHS England will now draw up a dossier detailing any harm to patients and near misses caused by the BMA not agreeing to deviations – methods of maintaining safe staffing levels on strike days – or being too slow to respond.
During a visit to the London Ambulance Service, Ms Atkins said the strikes were having “very serious consequences” for patients and other NHS staff. She offered to return to the negotiating table within twenty minutes if the BMA called off the strike.
Ms Atkins backed managers who said they needed additional support from striking junior doctors.
She said: “We must stop the strikes – because the NHS belongs to all of us.” This does not belong only to the Junior Doctors Commission. And for the 1.3 million people who work in the NHS, and of course the tens of millions of people it cares for, the NHS cannot be turned on and off on a whim.” Paramedics began a six-day strike on Wednesday, as the NHS struggles with seasonal pressures.
The BMA said trainee doctors’ salaries had been cut by more than a quarter since 2008 and had restored a path to full pay – a rise of around 35 per cent. (Image: Doctors in training strike in London on Thursday)
Figures show that hospital admissions of people with flu or Covid in England have reached their highest level so far this winter.
Flu admissions rose for the sixth straight day last week to 6.8 per 100,000 people, a level considered a “medium impact” on hospitals, although about half as high as last year.
The number of recordings of people who tested positive for Covid-19 was 5.2 per 100,000 last week, after the fifth weekly increase.
During a visit to Nottinghamshire, Mr Sunak said: “It is absolutely right that NHS leaders, completely independent of government, make clinical decisions locally and ask for additional support where they think it is needed.”
On the first day of the strike, critical incidents were reported at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and the NHS in Nottingham. More than a dozen hospitals said emergency services were at capacity, with some reporting “extremely increased pressure”.
The BMA says trainee doctors’ salaries have been cut by more than a quarter since 2008. They are calling for a path to full wage recovery that would require an increase of around 35 percent.
Yesterday Dr. Robert Laurenson, co-chair of the BMA Young Doctors Committee, continued
“NHS leaders have failed and now they are joining forces with the government to pressure doctors into our biggest whistle-blowing action yet.” “The NHS hates doctors.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
