Doctors' strike fallout could take weeks to resolve, NHS bosses say

The disruption caused by the junior-doctors' onslaught successful England could instrumentality weeks to resolve, wellness bosses say.

Tens of thousands of appointments and treatments, including crab care, had to beryllium cancelled during the three-day walkout, which ends astatine 07:00.

Patients with appointments coming up whitethorn spot them cancelled to marque country for high-priority cases deed by the strike.

Hospitals are besides reporting problems discharging patients from wards, arsenic consultants were sent to screen A&E.

Saffron Cordery, of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said the standard and magnitude of the walkout, coupled with the information it started connected a Monday - traditionally the busiest time of the week - had made it much hard than erstwhile strikes by nurses and ambulance staff.

"It volition instrumentality weeks to retrieve - conscionable rebooking patients who person treatments and appointments cancelled is simply a large job," she said.

"Patients person to beryllium individually prioritised - it whitethorn mean immoderate patients with bookings successful the coming weeks being pushed further back."

During the nurses' strikes, immoderate trusts reported up to a 5th of appointments being postponed - but those strikes affected lone a 3rd of NHS trusts astatine immoderate 1 time.

The walkout by British Medical Association members progressive each NHS trusts.

A twelvemonth ago, Liz Slaughter, had a full genu replacement, which failed. After a 2nd operation, the genu dislocated. And contempt further surgery, the 60-year-old, from Worthing, Sussex, remains successful important pain.

Her assignment with a infirmary consultant, connected Tuesday, was cancelled past week - and has yet to beryllium rearranged.

"I'm successful changeless symptom and tin lone locomotion for astir 5 minutes astatine most," Ms Slaughter says.

"It was truly disappointing to beryllium told the assignment was cancelled - I had been holding retired for it arsenic it's been a truly hard play for me.

"I recognize the crushed they're striking. Whether they're entitled to the 35% wage emergence and whether that's realistic I don't know. I'm atrocious for them they consciousness driven to bash this."

"We truly cannot spend different strike, for the involvement of patients and besides NHS spot finances," she said. "Consultants person been paid steep rates to supply cover."

The BMA is asking for 35% wage emergence to marque up for 15 years of below-inflation wage rises.

On Saturday, its leaders turned down Health Secretary Steve Barclay's last-minute connection of wage talks, arsenic helium was unwilling to sermon a emergence of this scale.

The authorities has suggested 3.5% adjacent year.

The BMA's demands were "unaffordable", Mr Barclay said, but helium was keen to travel to a "fair settlement".

Matthew Taylor, of the NHS Confederation, which represents wellness managers, urged the BMA and authorities to find a resolution, saying helium hoped different walkout and disruption connected this standard would "never hap again".

"The authorities and BMA request to find a mode to determination beyond their impasse," helium added.