Patients could be forced to spend Christmas in hospital due to strikes – Atkins

Strikes by junior doctors in England will mean that some patients will not be sent home from hospital in time to spend Christmas with their loved ones, the Health Secretary has said.

Victoria Atkins echoed concerns from leading health and patient organisations, who warned patients could be left “stranded” in wards over Christmas due to the industrial action.

Ms Atkins said she wanted to reach a “fair and reasonable” settlement with doctors in training – who began their 72-hour strike at 7am on December 20.

Ms Atkins told broadcasters she wanted to address doctors’ concerns, but added: “I cannot do that if they’re on the picket line, rather than in hospitals looking after patients.”

She continued: “We also must look at what this means for other healthcare professionals and, of course, patients themselves.

“So, this Christmas, we know that these strikes if they continue today, tomorrow and on Friday, it will mean that people will stay in hospital longer than if the strikes had not happened because hospitals will not be able to discharge them.

“So, there will be people spending Christmas in hospital rather than at home. That is an enormous cost for individuals and for their families.

“But also for other members of the healthcare service because junior doctors, the (junior doctors’) committee, appear to expect consultants and others to pick up their work for them.

“And I’m very conscious it’s been a tough year for all our clinicians. I want them to be able to enjoy their Christmas and enjoy their rest as much as we all want to but they’re going to be picking up the slack for these doctors that are on strike.”

It comes after Age UK, NHS Confederation, Healthwatch England, National Voices and the Patients Association wrote to the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Government expressing concerns over the strike.

They wrote: “There were 13,000 patients – many older people – waiting to be discharged in the first week of December. Strike action in the run-up to Christmas could see these numbers increase, leaving patients stranded in hospital over the holiday period despite being medically fit for discharge.”

(PA Graphics)

Doctors’ leaders have said that the Government “walked away from talks” after strikes were called, insisting that there is no law or rule which prohibits negotiations from continuing once a walkout has been called.

The BMA’s junior doctors committee challenged the Government to make an offer so strikes could be “cancelled today”.

Conciliation service Acas said it is “ready to help” resolve the dispute.

Acas chief executive Susan Clews said: “We have a team of experts who are well prepared and ready to help with the junior doctors dispute.”

Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairman of the BMA junior doctors committee, told the PA news agency that in order to break the deadlock, the Government needed to “recognise and value doctors and not inflict a real-terms pay cut”.

Last week, Ms Atkins said that a final offer had not been put before the BMA before more strikes were announced.

Asked about Ms Atkins’ remarks, Dr Trivedi told the PA news agency: “We have still not seen this further offer so, if it really is enough to stop strikes, then let’s have it. If it is credible we can put it to our members and we can cancel these strikes today.”

He added: “We have never walked away from talks, we have called strike action and then the Government has walked away from talks, but we’re ready to speak at any point.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins has warned that patients could be forced to stay in hospital over Christmas (Victoria Jones/PA)

“There is no law, there is no rule that stops people talking when strikes are called and, in fact, we saw a completely different approach in Scotland where our colleagues had called for strike action but their Government met them at the table and they negotiated a deal which ultimately, not only was good enough to put to members but was good enough to be agreed by members, and they were able to avert strike action, full stop.

“I only wish that our Government would take some notice of that.”

The NHS has said emergency and urgent care will be prioritised during the strikes and that “almost all” routine care will be affected.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for the NHS in England, told the PA news agency: “This is coming at the worst possible time of year for us where we are beginning to see those winter pressures that we always see around the festive season, with flu cases and Covid cases on the rise.

“So, there is no doubt this is going to be a challenging period and we will see disruption once again.”

Junior doctors are also preparing for the NHS’ longest ever walkout, for six whole days from January 3.

Prof Powis added: “This will be a disruptive period – three days this week (then) six days – the longest period of strike action that we’ve seen – early in the new year.

“Of course, that’s after the new year festivities where we see activity growing, so it’s that second period of strike action in January that is giving us the most concern.”

Sir Stephen said that he was “disappointed that negotiations broke down” but said that deals reached with other doctor groups show that it is “possible to make progress”.

Labour frontbencher Jonathan Ashworth said the strike was a failure of leadership by Rishi Sunak.

The shadow paymaster general told the PA news agency: “It’s such a tragedy that there’s industrial action today. And it’s a failure of Rishi Sunak – a failure of Rishi Sunak to really negotiate properly with the trade unions.”

It comes as the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association announced that its junior doctors have extended their strike mandate until June. Members of the union are joining BMA colleagues on pickets during the current walkout and will also join picket lines in January.

The BMA announced the strike earlier this month after talks between junior doctors and the Government broke down.

Junior doctors in Wales are planning a 72-hour walkout from January 15, while doctors in training in Northern Ireland are being balloted for potential strike action.

Junior doctors in Scotland have already come to an agreement with the Scottish Government.

Consultant doctors from the BMA in England have reached a deal with the Government, with members currently voting whether or not to accept the deal.

Specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors (SAS) in England have also come to an agreement, which is being put to members.

Elsewhere, Ms Atkins has written to the bodies which recommend salary uplifts for NHS staff to ask them to begin looking at the pay round for 2024/25.