Hospital bosses fear being hit by a deluge of patients when the first of two all-out strikes by junior doctors ends.
Concerns are mounting that sick people will head for A&E this evening in the mistaken belief that hospitals will quickly return to “normal service” after 5pm, when the walkout is due to end. Hospital sources said the reallocation of consultants was likely to cause delays in discharging patients previously admitted to wards. This would create a shortage of beds for new admissions. “We are concerned that people will arrive at 5pm when it’s over and we get the whole day’s demand in one hour,” one London hospital manager told the Standard.
Today’s strike, the fifth by the British Medical Association, saw junior doctors refuse to work in emergency, maternity and critical care departments for the first time in NHS history. A similar walkout will resume at 8am tomorrow.
Emergency cover was being provided across the NHS by consultants as juniors protesting over new contracts took to picket lines.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told BBC radio it was a “very, very bleak day for the NHS” but junior doctors on the picket line at St Thomas’ Hospital warned the dispute could escalate.
Dr Sarah Hallett, 26, who works in paediatrics, said further strikes or an indefinite walkout “cannot be ruled out”. And Dr Michael Mclaughlin, 32, a specialist A&E registrar, said: “This is about the future of the NHS so there could be further action taken with a heavy heart.”
More than 100 senior medics at Barts Health, the UK’s biggest NHS trust, posted photo and video selfies to show support for junior doctors.
Both NHS England and London Ambulance Service said they were unaware of additional pressures during the first hours of the strike. Anne Rainsberry from NHS England said she was “concerned” at the impact on patients but refused to suggest that lives were at risk, saying only: “Withdrawal of emergency care will put additional risk into the system.”
Hospital bosses appealed for “people with minor ailments” to seek help via the NHS 111 helpline, GPs, pharmacists, and minor injuries units rather than A&E.
Meanwhile, a BBC poll found 57 per cent public support for the junior doctors, slightly lower than in January when emergency care was still provided during strikes.@RossLydall
