The junior doctors in England have begun their third strike since March 2016, with their 72-hour industrial action being described by the health and social care secretary, Steve Barclay, as “hugely disappointing”. He claimed that it would “jeopardize patient safety and our efforts to reduce waiting lists”. Barclay stated that the government will only re-enter talks with doctors if they are willing to shift significantly from their current salary expectations. The British Medical Association (BMA) criticised the government’s offer of a 5% pay rise and announced the strike action in response. The BMA’s main argument is that junior doctors have suffered wage erosion of 15 years. Barclay has stated that the offer represents a “fair and reasonable opening offer” and that both pay and non-pay issues will be considered until the action ends.
Despite the strikes affecting over 500,000 operations and appointments since December 2015, the Royal College of Nursing has rejected the NHS Staff Council pay offer accepted by 14 other healthcare unions, with nurses now preparing for a second six-month strike term. Consultants and radiographers are also contemplating strike action in response to the offer. Although health leaders claim that they have adapted to the disruption caused by each wave of action, they warn that “each wave of strikes weakens the resilience of the NHS, affecting staff, internal relations and their ability to deliver on government commitments to reduce the electoral backlog”.
Whilst negotiations continue, people are advised to still attend their NHS appointments as normal, unless otherwise contacted by the SSN. If patients do need to see their doctor urgently, they should call 999 or use the NHS 111 online services for non-urgent healthcare needs.
Ensuring consultants’ coverage for absent junior doctors is a growing challenge. Overtime payments remain under negotiation at local levels. In an open letter to NHS staff, Barclay emphasised that he will work with the NHS Staff Council to oversee the implementation of the non-pay elements of the wage deal. In particular, he has invited participants in the NHS Pay Review Body process, including NHS England, devolved governments and healthcare unions, to share their views on areas such as the timing of the pay round and the process of appointing members.
A spokesperson for Unison, Christina McAnea, has warned that “without fundamental change the government risks sleepwalking into a disastrous repeat of the chaotic way ministers have handled the most recent two rounds of pay”. In Scotland, young doctors are planning to strike between 12 and 15 July, in response to Holyrood’s offer of a 14.5% overall raise over two years, which includes talks over potential changes to the review of salaries.
In light of the ongoing dispute between junior doctors and the UK government, it is timely to consider the current state and future of the NHS. The Health Foundation claims that the NHS is in the midst of the longest period of funding restraint in its history. This is despite the fact that demand for services is increasing dramatically due to an ageing population, rising levels of obesity, and increasing numbers seeking help for mental health problems. The Health Foundation notes that such demand is leading to longer waiting times for treatment, as well as “crisis-driven” clinician interventions, as resources are stretched thin. It has also led to a rise of people seeking private health insurance. At the same time, the availability of health care professionals has decreased, with staff morale suffering as a result of pay restraints and budget cuts.
A poll conducted in January 2017 gave a preliminary indication of how staff at the “coal face” view these issues. Nearly 73% of 1,000 doctors across England who responded stated that the NHS was underfunded, with 43% saying they personally knew of cases where patients had suffered or died as a result of waits for treatment. 60% said they felt that understaffing was having a negative effect on the quality of care provided.
The current NHS crisis highlights the importance of strategic as well as financial planning to tackle the challenges of a rising population and in ensuring that the quality of patient care is not compromised. Nonetheless, according to Health Education England, the number of nurses in England has fallen over the past year, with over 40,000 nursing vacancies currently unfilled. At the same time, applications to study for nursing degrees have dropped by 23%, following the withdrawal of bursaries and the introduction of university fees. Dentistry is experiencing similar issues, with vacancies up by 43%. A recent survey by the British Medical Association found that 42% of junior doctors intending to leave the NHS intended to do so for a career in another country.
The situation in the UK may be exacerbated by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, and the implications for the recruitment of medical staff from the EU. Currently, 10.4% of all NHS staff are from Europe. In response, the NHS is organising recruitment drives in Spain and Portugal. While the quality of healthcare in the UK is still widely respected, the prevailing perception is one of a crisis-ridden service.
The tension between healthcare employees and the government looks set to continue, with neither side willing or able to compromise. It is therefore essential that any additional strike action be minimised to prevent further impact on an already fragile NHS system. In the meantime, it will be important for the government to develop strong and effective policy refinements to ensure the continuous provision of adequate healthcare for the growing British public.
Summary:
Junior doctors are holding their third strike since March 2016 after rejecting the government’s offer of a 5% pay rise, calling it “in no way credible”. Steve Barclay, the health and social care secretary, has stated that doctors must change their salary expectations significantly if talks with the government are to resume. More than 500,000 operations and appointments have been cancelled since strike action began across healthcare since December 2015. The Royal College of Nursing has rejected the NHS Staff Council pay offer accepted by 14 other healthcare unions, with nurses voting for a second six-month strike term, and consultants considering taking action too. Without a resolution, the government, says Christina McAnea of Unison, risks reproducing the “chaotic way” recent pay rounds have been handled. Meanwhile, an ageing population, rising levels of obesity, increasing numbers seeking help for mental health issues, and a decrease in resources due to pay restraints and budget cuts is leading to a crisis-point in the National Health Service.
Additional Piece:
The NHS crisis is a highly debated issue in the UK, and the debate around it, particularly on social media, is heated. One of the main questions that arises is how this will progress in the coming years, since the present course is unsustainable. The primary causes of the crisis include an ageing population and lifestyle-related health issues, a funding gap and longer waiting times for patients, which make it a daunting prospect for a government that is still finding its feet as the Brexit negotiations unfold.
Critics have suggested that, should the situation deteriorate further, the UK electorate will demand more substantial change, with the significant probability of calls to import an alternative healthcare system, such as that seen in France or Canada, despite the latter’s own pending healthcare crisis. An overhaul carries with it its own risks, given that governmental systems are always resistant to change. Others have suggested that one solution to the crisis could be to hold healthcare funding separate from government budgets entirely in order to free up funds for priority areas, such as cancer treatment. Again, though, this has its own set of potential challenges and risks.
Whatever the solution, it is clear that a sustainable solution must be found to the NHS crisis that is causing such havoc in the UK’s healthcare system. Considering funding and overhauling the underlying structures of care delivery are just two possibilities. Ultimately, the government and industry leaders must work together to find creative solutions and form a strategy that combines advocacy and viable innovation. In the meantime, further waves of the industrial action threatening the NHS are unlikely to provide beneficial progress to the situation, only serving to create even greater tension between employees and the government, and hampering what is already a fragile, strained healthcare system.
Sources:
https://www.ft.com/content/05d1974c-49ed-11e9-8b7f-d49067e0f50d
https://www.nursingtimes.net/news/workforce/understaffing-fuelling-care-crisis-in-nhs-say-junior-doctors/7015221.article
https://theconversation.com/is-the-uks-nhs-really-the-envey-of-the-world-68757
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/17/nhs-recruits-spain-and-portugal-to-plug-gaps-caused-by-brexit-exodus
—————————————————-
| Article | Link |
|---|---|
| UK Artful Impressions | Premiere Etsy Store |
| Sponsored Content | View |
| 90’s Rock Band Review | View |
| Ted Lasso’s MacBook Guide | View |
| Nature’s Secret to More Energy | View |
| Ancient Recipe for Weight Loss | View |
| MacBook Air i3 vs i5 | View |
| You Need a VPN in 2023 – Liberty Shield | View |
Health and social care secretary Steve Barclay said young doctors in England needed to ‘move significantly’ from their current salary requirement before the government re-entered talks as doctors begin their third term. industrial action since March.
Describing the 72-hour doctors’ strike, starting at 7 on Wednesday, as “hugely disappointing”, Barclay said it would “jeopardize patient safety and our efforts to reduce waiting lists”.
THE British Medical Association he dismissed the government’s offer of a 5% pay rise as ‘in no way credible’ as he seeks a deal to tackle what he describes as 15 years of wage erosion.
Calling it “a fair and reasonable opening offer,” Barclay said discussions were ongoing on “both pay and non-pay issues until [the junior doctors] chose to conclude the talks by announcing new strike dates”.
If the BMA reverses these “harmful and disruptive strikes and shows a willingness to move significantly from their position, we can resume confidential talks and find a way forward, as we have done with other unions,” he added.
In the meantime, people are expected to attend appointments unless otherwise directed by the SSN“Continue to call 999 in a life-threatening emergency and use NHS 111 online services for non-urgent healthcare needs,” he said.
It is estimated that over 500,000 operations and appointments have been canceled since NHS workers, including nurses and paramedics, started industrial action last December.
The NHS Staff Council, which represents 14 healthcare unions, accepted a pay offer in May that gives staff a consolidated raise of around 9% over two years. However, a majority of Royal College of Nursing members rejected it, with nurses now voting for a second six-month strike term.
Consultants and radiographers are holding up their ballot papers as they seek the green light for strikes.
Health leaders said staff had gotten used to dealing with the disruption of strike days but warned of the long-term consequences for the health service and patients.
Rory Deighton, acute network director at the NHS Confederation, said local services were doing everything they could “to prioritize those with the greatest clinical need and provide safe services for patients”.
However, he warned that “each wave of strikes weakens the resilience of the NHS, affecting staff, internal relations and their ability to deliver on government commitments to reduce the electoral backlog”.
Ensuring consultants’ coverage for absent junior doctors was “a challenge,” he noted, as local negotiations over overtime payments continued.
Separately, in an open letter to NHS staff, Barclay said he would work with the NHS Staff Council to oversee the implementation of the ‘non-pay’ elements of the wage deal.
It invited participants in the NHS Pay Review Body process, including healthcare unions, NHS England and devolved governments, to share their views on areas such as ‘the timing of the pay round, the process of appointing members , the input from the NHS Staff Council and the data and evidence that goes into it,” he said.
Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said, without fundamental change, “the government risks sleepwalking into a disastrous repeat of the chaotic way ministers have handled the most recent two rounds of pay”.
A strike by young Scottish doctors is set to take place between July 12 and 15 after BMA members rejected Holyrood’s offer of a 14.5% overall raise over two years, along with talks over a change to the salary review.
https://www.ft.com/content/4b26bc73-f0bf-42e0-be8a-88ec0c709c78
—————————————————-