NHS boss raises patient safety concerns ahead of January junior doctors’ strike

An NHS boss has warned hospital staffing levels seen during this week’s junior doctors’ strike will not be “sustainable” when they stage the longest walkout the health service has ever seen next month.

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, has written to the British Medical Association (BMA) raising concerns about patient safety ahead of the new year strikes.

The letter, sent to Professor Philip Banfield, BMA chairman of council, warned January “is probably where there is the greatest pressure on services and teams, each and every year”.

Junior doctors are currently on their second day of a 72-hour strike and will return to work at 7am on December 23.

And they are set to stage the longest walkout in NHS history, over six days, from January 3 2024.

In the letter, seen by the PA news agency, Mr Mortimer wrote: “In a system already facing enormous demand, it is the week that most teams dread as it is likely to be the busiest for emergency care.

“Your joint letter with NHS England makes clear that in relation to the December action that the staff recall and derogations process remains largely the same as the previous strikes.

“This arrangement will not be sustainable in January.

“In the previous periods of industrial action taken solely by your junior doctor members, the core duties typically carried out by striking junior doctors have been covered by other medical colleagues and members of the wider team.

“This position will not be tenable in January.”

Mr Mortimer said he understands the BMA and NHS England have agreed a number of derogations, instances which exempt union members from strike action to provide cover or care, in three high-risk areas.

These are fast-progressing cancers, time-critical inductions of labour or urgent elective Caesarean sections, and corneal transplant surgeries.

But Mr Mortimer has called on the BMA to add the urgent and emergency care pathways and services across acute and mental health trusts for the January strikes.

His letter added: “I recognise that there are countless examples where our colleagues are not able to do their very best for their patients, but the first fortnight in January is one of the times when this risk dramatically increases.

“I would urge the leadership of the BMA to not therefore make this position worse during strike action in January.”

It comes after Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told BBC Four’s Today Programme that “many, many” doctors will be “deeply uncomfortable that their committee has called these strikes at this time”.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said other staff are ‘being expected’ to ‘pick up the slack’ by the BMA’s junior doctors committee (Victoria Jones/PA)

She added: “I would encourage anyone who feels like that quietly to consider whether this committee is in fact representing their views.

“I know, for example, that consultants and nurses and other doctors who aren’t on strike are, today and yesterday, and will be over January, coming in, doing extra shifts, to ensure that that level of care is provided for patients.

“They are being expected by the junior doctors’ committee to pick up the slack of their strikes.”

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

It said the offer of an average 3% rise from January, on top of the average of nearly 9% recommended by the independent pay review body in April, was not enough to make up for below-inflation pay rises since 2008.

The BMA is calling for a full pay restoration that the Government said would amount to a 35% pay hike, which ministers have said is unaffordable.

Consultant members of the BMA are currently voting on a pay offer from the Government.

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

Elsewhere, 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.