LONDON, England: The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) may have to cut frontline staff plus appointments and operations for patients if doctors’ strikes continue, health leaders have warned, reported PA Media/dpa.
As thousands of resident doctors go on strike across England today in a dispute over pay, the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, which represent health trusts, said continued action was piling pressure on already-stretched budgets.
The five-day action is the 13th walkout by doctors since March 2023, with the last strike in July estimated to have cost the health service £300 million (USD394 million).
Resident doctors make up around half the medical workforce in the NHS and have up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor or three years as a GP (General Practitioner).
NHS Confederation and NHS Providers said that if the NHS continues to have to foot the bill from strikes, it could lead to staff being cut and fewer tests, appointments and operations being carried out.
The knock-on impact on patients is they will be forced to wait longer for care, and many may no longer be able to work without the treatment they need, they said.
The groups also warned that strikes are hitting progress in bringing down NHS waiting lists.
Figures on Thursday showed early signs the waiting list is dropping, with September seeing a slight fall after three consecutive months of rises. – BERNAMA-PA MEDIA/dpa
