Strike by junior doctors pushes cancelled appointments and operations past one million
A STRIKE by junior doctors which resumes today will push cancelled patient appointments and operations past one million.
The milestone will be hit during the six-day walkout — which follows 28 days of action that have already taken place in the dispute.
There have been around 970,000 cancellations so far, with 100,000 more expected in the coming days.
Last night, the striking medics were told they would already have a bigger pay rise were it not for their militant union torpedoing negotiations.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins accused the British Medical Association of sabotaging pay talks and said they could resume “within 20 minutes” if they axed the strike.
She has ruled out an offer anywhere near the 35 per cent bump demanded by the BMA, but last night suggested her chequebook remained open.
She said: “There is a deal there to be done, but I can’t do it if people have walked out of the negotiation room and called strikes.
“I need them to call off the strikes and come back round the negotiating table.”
Junior doctors are the outlier strikers after nurses, ambulance workers and consultants all accepted pay deals.
They are downing tools just as a rising triple threat of flu, Covid and norovirus is set to swamp the NHS.
Miss Atkins said: “This one we are very, very concerned about because it comes at the busiest time of year for our health system.”
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, of NHS England, said of the situation: “Six days is incredibly challenging and it comes at the worst time of the year for us. Everybody wants these strikes to be over.”
Ms Atkins said that the public should “keep calm” during the period and not change their behaviour.