Close to 1m NHS appointments lost to strikes

The fig of appointments and treatments postponed by onslaught enactment successful the NHS successful England is nearing 1 million.

The 48-hour walkout by consultants successful England past week saw much than 45,000 appointments being cancelled.

It brings the full fig of postponed infirmary appointments since concern enactment began successful the NHS successful December to 885,000.

Once intelligence wellness and assemblage bookings are included, it tops 944,000.

The existent full is apt to beryllium adjacent higher, arsenic services person stopped scheduling appointments connected onslaught days and these volition not beryllium included successful the figures released by NHS England.

Alongside consultants, inferior doctors, nurses, physios, ambulance workers and radiographers person besides walked retired astatine assorted stages.

NHS nationalist aesculapian manager Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: "Industrial enactment continues to person a immense interaction connected the NHS, and connected the lives of patients and their families.

"This onslaught took spot into a slope vacation weekend, erstwhile NHS enactment is mostly lighter, but galore services person for immoderate clip avoided scheduling immoderate planned appointments for onslaught days successful bid to prioritise emergencies.

"This means the existent interaction of this enactment volition beryllium adjacent higher, and arsenic we determination into September, the bonzer cumulative effect of much than 9 months of disruption poses a immense situation for the wellness service, arsenic unit enactment tirelessly to tackle the backlog."

Consultants are readying much strikes successful September and October, portion the effect of a re-ballot of inferior doctors is owed successful the coming days.

If inferior doctors ballot successful favour of onslaught action, it volition mean they person a caller mandate for six months.

Sir Julian Hartley, of NHS Providers, which represents wellness managers, said helium was "alarmed by the snowballing impact" of the strikes.

"Nearly 1 cardinal radical crossed England person present had appointments pushed backmost owed to walkouts. On apical of that determination is the immeasurable interaction of each the appointments that could not beryllium booked connected the onslaught itself.

"NHS leaders recognize wherefore immoderate unit consciousness pushed to strike, but they are besides disquieted by the interaction this is having connected the patients, and wider workforce morale."

Juniors doctors person asked for a 35% wage emergence to marque up for what they accidental are beneath ostentation wage rises for 15 years.

Consultants excessively accidental they person seen a akin cut, and person asked for wage rises that are supra inflation.

The authorities gave doctors an other 6% this twelvemonth - with inferior doctors getting an other £1,250 - bringing their mean emergence to astir 9%.

Ministers person said these are the last settlements, and are what the autarkic wage reappraisal assemblage recommended.