Warning NHS consultants’ strike will ‘severely impact’ patients as routine care faces ‘virtual standstill’

The NHS will be “severely impacted” with routine care “virtually at a standstill” as consultant doctors and hospital-based dentists are set to strike for 48 hours.

The walkouts will take place from 7am on Thursday (20 July) until 7am on Saturday (22 July), following the longest period of industrial action in the history of the NHS by junior doctors which lasted five days.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis warned mass disruption will be expected across the NHS as consultants move to providing just emergency cover.

Health leaders have said any planned care delivered by junior doctors or other healthcare professionals that requires even remote consultant supervision will need to be rescheduled as no other clinicians can provide cover for consultants.

NHS England said this will lead to a “significant amount” of planned care involving junior doctors being affected.

It is thought the junior doctor strike led to tens of thousands of appointments being postponed across the five days but now experts are warning that there will be an even bigger impact from consultants going on strike.

Professor Powis said: “This could undoubtedly be the most severe impact we have ever seen in the NHS as a result of industrial action, with routine care virtually at a standstill for 48 hours.

“Consultants will not only stop seeing patients themselves, but they won’t be around to provide supervision over the work of junior doctors, which impacts thousands of appointments for patients.”

Professor Powis added that it is the eighth month of industrial action “with more than 600,000 appointments already affected” and so it is becoming “even more challenging to get services back on track after each round of action.”

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers, said trust leaders are “extremely concerned” about the “enormous impact” the strikes could have on patients.

The public is still being told to dial 999 in life-threatening emergencies and to contact NHS 111 online for other health concerns. GP services and pharmacies will be running as normal.

The strikes come after the government announced pay increases last week for millions of public-sector workers including doctors.

It said most eligible dentists and doctors will receive at least a 6% pay rise, while hospital consultants will receive a 6% rise.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the deal was the “final offer” and that there will be “no more talks on pay”.

In a letter to Health Secretary Steve Barclay, the union accused the government of “not taking the situation seriously”.

It added: “The Prime Minister stated bullishly that there will be no more negotiations, as if there had been a full process already that had reached its conclusion. It is still not too late, we remain willing to talk and call on you to meet with us and present us with a credible offer so that we can call off industrial action and put it to our members.”

Following the announcement, hospital consultants said they will strike for two more days on 24 and 25 August.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said there are plans in place for a “Christmas Day level of cover in emergency care” but the “patience of patients may be tested as wider services are reduced and operations postponed.”

He added: “This, in essence, is two Christmas Days back to back and follows a working week’s worth of walkouts from other staff, so it’s very much a step into the unknown.”