A senior NHS doctor condemned the upcoming five-day strike by resident doctors in England, stating it will harm patients. Although doctors have the right to strike, it should not lead to patient distress. NHS England aims to maintain non-urgent care, contrasting with previous strikes. However, the BMA contends this approach is unsafe and suggests canceling non-urgent procedures may better support emergency services. Resident doctors have previously led multiple strikes, resulting in over a million canceled treatments and appointments, adversely impacting patients who have been waiting long periods for care.
We know from the pandemic and the last strike that if you cancel those [non-urgent] patients many have been waiting a significant amount of time, those patients come to harm. You cannot decouple elective and emergency care, the two go together.
Cancelled operations can have serious adverse effects on patients both mentally and physically, citing examples of patients facing long waits for a hip replacement and being left on strong painkillers unable to get out of their chair or go upstairs.
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