Publisher Health

More than 91,000 NHS appointments had to be rescheduled due to this week’s junior doctor strike in England.

Members of British Medical Association (BMA) took industrial action for five days in their tenth strike since last March in a dispute over pay.

More than 23,000 staff were absent due the strike, NHS England says.

There have now been 1,000 hours of disruption to routine care due to industrial action by junior doctors and consultants, it says.

More than 1.4 million operations and appointments in total have been cancelled due to strike action by health workers including doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals since December 2022.

The junior doctor walkout this week affected critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma units in hospitals across England. It meant senior doctors had to be drafted across from other services to staff emergency care.

The NHS’ national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “NHS staff worked incredibly hard to keep patients safe and cover striking colleagues and we are extremely grateful for their huge efforts and for the time and skill that went into the planning.”

The strike was among members of the BMA, which wants a 35% pay increase – a proposal previously rejected by ministers.

Junior doctors have so far taken 39 days of strike action during this dispute.

Nearly half of NHS doctors are junior doctors – a group spanning recent graduates to some who have 10 years or more experience – and two-thirds are members of the BMA.

NHS Confederation, which represents healthcare employers, said it was patients who “bear the brunt” of the dispute.

“It is important to remember that behind every number is a patient who may be living in pain or discomfort waiting for treatment that could turn their lives around,” chief executive Matthew Taylor said.

The union said more strikes are likely unless a deal is made with the government on pay.

Junior doctors received a pay rise averaging nearly 9% this financial year – and during talks at the end of last year, the option of an extra 3% on top of that was discussed.

But those talks ended in early December without a deal being reached.

The BMA says it wants an offer that makes up for what it says has been 15 years of below-inflation pay rises.

The union is balloting members on further strike action, with a result expected at the end of this month.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Now that this latest round of industrial action is over, I once again urge the BMA Junior Doctors’ Committee to demonstrate they have reasonable expectations so we can come back to the negotiating table to find a fair deal that works for the NHS, doctors and patients.”

Junior doctors in Wales also recently held a strike, while in Northern Ireland they are planning to strike in early March.

Earlier, the BMA rejected a pay offer for specialist, associate specialist and specialty (SAS) doctors in England – very experienced doctors who are more senior that junior doctors, but who are not consultants.