Junior doctors' strike: NHS chief calls for Acas help with talks

The authorities and inferior doctors' unions should telephone connected conciliation work Acas for assistance with talks up of "extremely worrying" strikes this week, an NHS main has said.

Matthew Taylor, main enforcement of the NHS Confederation, told the BBC perchance 350,000 appointments and operations could beryllium cancelled.

Junior doctors successful England are acceptable to signifier a four-day onslaught from Tuesday.

The British Medical Association wants a 35% wage rise.

It says the summation would marque up for 15 years of below-inflation wage rises which has caused a recruitment and retention crisis.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said connected Sunday that the request was "unrealistic", but the BMA said Mr Barclay is yet to enactment a superior connection connected the table.

The onslaught is owed to instrumentality spot from 07:00 BST connected Tuesday until 07:00 connected Saturday.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Taylor, whose assemblage represents wellness work trusts, said the authorities and unions needed to telephone successful autarkic nationalist assemblage Acas to assistance beforehand talks.

"It's depressing that determination seems to beryllium nary question astatine each from the 2 sides of this quality implicit the past fewer days," helium said.

"We should see asking the authorities and the commercialized unions to telephone successful Acas, the conciliation service, to supply immoderate ground for negotiations, due to the fact that if thing the positions look to person hardened implicit the past mates of days."

He said the involution was needed debar adjacent further strikes.

Mr Taylor described the interaction of thousands of inferior doctors striking arsenic "enormous".

He said: "Those services are stretched and determination nary question determination volition beryllium a hazard to diligent safety, determination volition beryllium a hazard to diligent dignity due to the fact that we're incapable to supply the benignant of attraction we want."

He added: "It's an highly worrying situation... The leaders I spoke to implicit the past fewer days are genuinely worried.

"Now to beryllium facing this concern wherever those waiting lists are going to get longer, cancelling work, not being capable to warrant the level of attraction you privation to supply - good that's heartbreaking for an NHS leader."

The BMA has refused to exempt immoderate services but says it has plans to support patients.

GP surgeries are suspending regular appointments for up to a week owed to the strikes, according to the Telegraph.