NHS: Radiographers go on strike in England - and GPs might not be far behind them

Radiographers at 37 NHS trusts in England are going on strike as the pay row with the government continues.

"Significant disruption" has been forecast for both scans and operations, with radiographers being critical to numerous hospital procedures.

It comes after the government announced a six per cent pay increase for NHS healthcare workers - which has been subject to fierce criticism for not keeping pace with inflation. Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers, warned the Today programme that strikes could continue up to the general election.

"We do know that radiographers will be offering life and limb cover for emergencies," Ms Cordery said.

“But overall we are going to see some significant disruption in those trusts that have striking radiographers because it means that X rays, MRI scans, CT scans, ultrasounds can’t be carried out and we know that they are critical to so many procedures, operations and tests that take place across hospitals.

“So we do know that this is going to have quite a significant impact.

“So far, we know that over 800,000 procedures and operations have been delayed since the beginning of strike action and every single one of those delays of course, is a person waiting longer than they should have for care.”

When asked about how long strikes could continue for, Ms Cordery added: “I think there’s serious concern that we go on like this for month after month after month. A fear that this could run up to the next general election.”

Nick Hulme, chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, told Times Radio: "I think it’s important to recognise it not just in the scanning departments where radiographers have a really, really important role – so they work very closely with our surgeons and in the operating theatres for the guided operations that we need to perform – so we’re also losing 58 operations today which is obviously really, really distressing for those patients.

“But it also means that we’ve got teams of people – the surgeons, the anaesthetics, the nurses and everybody else in recovery, who were just basically not able to work today.

“So for the lack of a radiographer, we lose a whole list, and therefore we lose a whole team of people who can’t do their job – then again, adding to significantly longer waits than anybody would want. It’s the patients who are paying the price for this industrial action – whether it is the consultants, the junior doctors, or radiographers, any of it, and we need to find a solution quickly.”

With waiting lists across the NHS continuing to grow, there are now concerns that GPs could be the next ones to go on strike, in a bid to get more investment into surgeries from the government.

The Times has reported that the British Medical Association (BMA) is gearing up to ballot members over industrial action. If these strikes go ahead, GP surgeries across the country could be closed for up to a week.

It comes after Pulse magazine published a survey of 362 GP partners - with 54 per cent considering shutting for a day and 31 per cent willing to close for a week.