Resident doctor strikes could jeopardise NHS improvement and recovery plans, health leaders warn

Responding to the BMA’s announcement that resident doctors have voted in favour of further strikes, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

“Industrial action is hugely disruptive for the NHS, which is working incredibly hard to improve performance, reduce waiting lists and implement the reforms needed to put it on a sustainable long-term footing.

“The recently published Ten-Year Health Plan is an ambitious roadmap of how the NHS is going to balance the need for short-term improvement against long-term reforms. Resident doctors downing tools risks jeopardising both of these goals as it could see tens of thousands of appointments and operations cancelled as other staff – including consultants – are diverted over to cover staffing gaps. While there have been recent improvements in waiting lists, hitting the 92 per cent target is a difficult enough ambition without further industrial action.

“It is also disappointing that despite making ending the resident doctors’ strikes a priority after entering office the government is now back to where it was a year ago. There is also the risk that these strikes heighten tensions within different staffing groups, with nurses and other staff also discussing industrial action.

“A key part of making sure the ten-year plan is successful will be resetting the relationship between the NHS and the public. Turning around the perception that the health service is not there when people need it will be vital in the face of continued drops in public satisfaction. But further operations and procedures being cancelled due to industrial action is unlikely to reset the dial on this and could lead to further falls in public satisfaction with the NHS."