Junior doctor strikes Sheffield: NHS director says industrial action will cause "huge disruption"

Junior doctors take strike action from 7am today (December 20) until 7am on Saturday (December 23).

NHS England says the healthcare service will prioritise urgent and emergency care, with consultants stepping in to cover for junior doctors.

After Christmas and New Year, the longest action ever by junior doctors is also planned from 7am on January 3 to 7am on January 9.

This means in the coming three weeks, only two weekdays are unaffected by holidays or industrial action in the NHS.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: "These strikes come at a time that will cause huge disruption to the NHS, with services are already feeling the strain of winter pressure. "When you factor in the Christmas and New Year break, these strikes will prolong that period of reduced activity and it also puts the health service on the back foot into the new year, which is a time where we see demand start to rise significantly."

In more than a full calendar year of action, strikes have seen more than 1.1 million inpatient and outpatient appointments rescheduled.

The British Medical Association trade union's deputy chair, Dr Emma Runswick, said last week: "The BMA has been clear that Trusts are given sufficient notice of the strike dates and it is for them to ensure there is adequate and appropriate staffing in place to meet the levels of care provided.

"As with all other strike action taken by juniors doctors, those doctors not taking industrial action - consultants, specialty and specialist doctors, as well as non-striking junior doctors, can provide cover ensuring that urgent and emergency care can continue to run.

"This month’s industrial action comes because of this Government failing to so far provide junior doctors with a credible pay offer and failing to address the unprecedented staffing crisis that is engulfing our NHS and value doctors for the work they do.

"Their persistent mishandling and under-resourcing of our health service has been causing unnecessary risk of harm; last winter, there was a sharp rise in excess deaths, a period when there were no doctor strikes.

"Ministers should be looking to make sure that our health service is safely staffed for 365 days a year.

"We are serious about ensuring that patients can receive high-quality care this Christmas, and for many more to come."

NHS England says that despite extensive planning and cover arrangements in place, the latest strikes by junior doctors, who make up 50 per cent of the medical workforce, are expected to impact almost all routine care.

The NHS is reminding people that they should continue to use services as they normally would when they need urgent medical help, using 999 and A&E in life threatening emergencies.