Warning over major disruption to NHS services as consultants prepare to walkout in latest strike
Daniel Keane
Wed, 23 August 2023
Consultant members of the British Medical Association stand on the picket line outside University College London hospital (PA Wire)
NHS leaders have warned of “major disruption” to services in London ahead of a two-day strike by consultants.
Dr Chris Streather, medical director for the NHS in the capital, said Londoners would feel the impact of the walkout “significantly” as thousands of senior doctors in the British Medical Association (BMA) prepared to strike for the second time over pay.
The strike will begin at 7am on Thursday and last until 7am on Saturday. Consultants will still provide “Christmas Day cover”, which means emergency care will be provided.
However, NHS trusts expect to cancel tens of thousands of operations as consultants are the most senior staff working in the NHS - meaning no other clinicians can cover for them. The action comes just nine days after a five-day walkout by junior doctor members of the BMA, with an average of 2,842 staff off in London each day.
The BMA is seeking a pay rise to correct a real terms fall in income since 2008, but the union has not demanded a specific figure.
Dr Vishal Sharma, the BMA consultants committee chairman, said last month that a 12.4 per cent pay increase accepted by junior doctors in Scotland would be enough to call off strikes by consultants in England.
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has insisted that the 6 per cent pay rise offered to NHS doctors is “final” and negotiations will not be reopened.
Speaking ahead of the strike, Dr Streather said: “This planned industrial action comes only ten days after the strike by junior doctors and Londoners will feel its impact significantly.
“The summer is also a period where staff often take annual leave and this, combined with the fact that consultants will stop seeing patients and will also not be able to supervise other medics means major disruption is anticipated. Doctors will only be able to attend to emergency patients.
“Those with life-threatening conditions should always call 999 but we ask Londoners to contact NHS 111 and use their pharmacy and GP practice as a first point of call for non-urgent care.
“If you haven’t been contacted or informed that your planned appointment has been postponed, please attend as normal.”
NHS trusts have raised concerns over the timing of the strike - just before the bank holiday weekend - which could put many services out of action for five days.
Dr Richard Jennings, Chief Medical Officer for St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group, said: “Summer is traditionally less busy for the NHS, but that certainly hasn’t been the case this year. Industrial action and periods of increased demand – including our busiest day ever in our emergency departments – have meant we’ve faced significant pressures.
“That looks set to continue this week and into the weekend, so once again we’re asking for your support. If you need medical help, please consider whether our emergency departments are the best place for you to be, or if it’s more appropriate for you to seek treatment elsewhere.”
More than 839,000 appointments and procedures have been cancelled since industrial action began in the NHS last December.
If the community and mental health figures are included, the total rises to nearly 900,000 - though this will not reflect the overall number of actual cancellations, due to some duplication of data.
A record 7.6 million Britons are currently on a waiting list for NHS treatment, a figure that ministers have admitted could surpass 8 million next year.
Consultants on a 2003 contract earn a starting salary of £88,364 in basic pay, rising to £119,133 after around 19 years, according to the BMA.
The Department of Health and Social Care said that on average, consultants have additional earnings worth around 31 per cent of basic pay, covering “additional programmed activities”, clinical excellence awards and on-call payments, which take total average NHS earnings for 2022/23 to around £127,000.
Daniel Keane
Wed, 23 August 2023
Consultant members of the British Medical Association stand on the picket line outside University College London hospital (PA Wire)
NHS leaders have warned of “major disruption” to services in London ahead of a two-day strike by consultants.
Dr Chris Streather, medical director for the NHS in the capital, said Londoners would feel the impact of the walkout “significantly” as thousands of senior doctors in the British Medical Association (BMA) prepared to strike for the second time over pay.
The strike will begin at 7am on Thursday and last until 7am on Saturday. Consultants will still provide “Christmas Day cover”, which means emergency care will be provided.
However, NHS trusts expect to cancel tens of thousands of operations as consultants are the most senior staff working in the NHS - meaning no other clinicians can cover for them. The action comes just nine days after a five-day walkout by junior doctor members of the BMA, with an average of 2,842 staff off in London each day.
The BMA is seeking a pay rise to correct a real terms fall in income since 2008, but the union has not demanded a specific figure.
Dr Vishal Sharma, the BMA consultants committee chairman, said last month that a 12.4 per cent pay increase accepted by junior doctors in Scotland would be enough to call off strikes by consultants in England.
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has insisted that the 6 per cent pay rise offered to NHS doctors is “final” and negotiations will not be reopened.
Speaking ahead of the strike, Dr Streather said: “This planned industrial action comes only ten days after the strike by junior doctors and Londoners will feel its impact significantly.
“The summer is also a period where staff often take annual leave and this, combined with the fact that consultants will stop seeing patients and will also not be able to supervise other medics means major disruption is anticipated. Doctors will only be able to attend to emergency patients.
“Those with life-threatening conditions should always call 999 but we ask Londoners to contact NHS 111 and use their pharmacy and GP practice as a first point of call for non-urgent care.
“If you haven’t been contacted or informed that your planned appointment has been postponed, please attend as normal.”
NHS trusts have raised concerns over the timing of the strike - just before the bank holiday weekend - which could put many services out of action for five days.
Dr Richard Jennings, Chief Medical Officer for St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group, said: “Summer is traditionally less busy for the NHS, but that certainly hasn’t been the case this year. Industrial action and periods of increased demand – including our busiest day ever in our emergency departments – have meant we’ve faced significant pressures.
“That looks set to continue this week and into the weekend, so once again we’re asking for your support. If you need medical help, please consider whether our emergency departments are the best place for you to be, or if it’s more appropriate for you to seek treatment elsewhere.”
More than 839,000 appointments and procedures have been cancelled since industrial action began in the NHS last December.
If the community and mental health figures are included, the total rises to nearly 900,000 - though this will not reflect the overall number of actual cancellations, due to some duplication of data.
A record 7.6 million Britons are currently on a waiting list for NHS treatment, a figure that ministers have admitted could surpass 8 million next year.
Consultants on a 2003 contract earn a starting salary of £88,364 in basic pay, rising to £119,133 after around 19 years, according to the BMA.
The Department of Health and Social Care said that on average, consultants have additional earnings worth around 31 per cent of basic pay, covering “additional programmed activities”, clinical excellence awards and on-call payments, which take total average NHS earnings for 2022/23 to around £127,000.
Civil Aviation Authority workers vote in favour of industrial action
Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent
Wed, 23 August 2023
Workers at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a dispute over pay.
Members of the Prospect union backed strikes by 2-1 and by almost 9-1 for other forms of industrial action.
The union said the CAA had refused to provide a “fair” pay rise for this year.
Prospect added that an internal survey of CAA workers found that two in five are considering leaving the organisation because of poor pay and excessive workload.
It was the first time a ballot on industrial action has taken place at the CAA, said Prospect.
Turnout was 65%, well over the required legal threshold.
The timing and nature of industrial action will be decided in due course.
Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: “More than a decade of real terms pay cuts have left our members at the CAA with no choice but to take industrial action.
“During the initial stages of the pandemic they did their part by taking a pay cut to enable their employer to continue to function.
“This show of goodwill has not been returned and inadequate pay levels are having a serious impact on recruitment and retention at the CAA.
“The employer can still avert this industrial action by coming back to the table with a meaningful offer that addresses the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
“If they do not do so, then the CAA’s status as a world-class aviation regulator is at risk.”
Rob Bishton, interim chief executive at the Civil Aviation Authority, said: “It is disappointing that some members of the Prospect Union have voted in favour of industrial action.
“We recognise the cost-of-living challenges that colleagues face, which is why we’ve already implemented a 5% pay rise, along with a further pay increase for many staff in October. This increase also takes account of the interests of those who pay our charges and public sector pay policy.
“With a modest proportion of the Civil Aviation Authority’s workforce who are members of Prospect, should there be any action by our colleagues, we do not anticipate any disruption to the aviation sector. We continue to engage constructively with Prospect.”
The CAA said around 240 employees were members of Prospect – 16% of a total workforce of around 1,500.
Alan Jones, PA Industrial Correspondent
Wed, 23 August 2023
Workers at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a dispute over pay.
Members of the Prospect union backed strikes by 2-1 and by almost 9-1 for other forms of industrial action.
The union said the CAA had refused to provide a “fair” pay rise for this year.
Prospect added that an internal survey of CAA workers found that two in five are considering leaving the organisation because of poor pay and excessive workload.
It was the first time a ballot on industrial action has taken place at the CAA, said Prospect.
Turnout was 65%, well over the required legal threshold.
The timing and nature of industrial action will be decided in due course.
Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: “More than a decade of real terms pay cuts have left our members at the CAA with no choice but to take industrial action.
“During the initial stages of the pandemic they did their part by taking a pay cut to enable their employer to continue to function.
“This show of goodwill has not been returned and inadequate pay levels are having a serious impact on recruitment and retention at the CAA.
“The employer can still avert this industrial action by coming back to the table with a meaningful offer that addresses the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
“If they do not do so, then the CAA’s status as a world-class aviation regulator is at risk.”
Rob Bishton, interim chief executive at the Civil Aviation Authority, said: “It is disappointing that some members of the Prospect Union have voted in favour of industrial action.
“We recognise the cost-of-living challenges that colleagues face, which is why we’ve already implemented a 5% pay rise, along with a further pay increase for many staff in October. This increase also takes account of the interests of those who pay our charges and public sector pay policy.
“With a modest proportion of the Civil Aviation Authority’s workforce who are members of Prospect, should there be any action by our colleagues, we do not anticipate any disruption to the aviation sector. We continue to engage constructively with Prospect.”
The CAA said around 240 employees were members of Prospect – 16% of a total workforce of around 1,500.
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