Striking doctors rejected calls to delay their walkout until January to avoid the worst of the “super flu” peak in hospitals, Wes Streeting has claimed.
The Health Secretary appealed to the British Medical Association to hold off on the five-day strike to give the NHS a chance to cope with “alarming” levels of patients being treated with the faster-spreading strain of the virus, but this was turned down, he told The i Paper.
He also warned the union not to block any doctors who want to leave picket lines to help patients in need during the walkout, which starts at 7am on Wednesday.
Streeting told The i Paper the BMA, during their last strike in July, rejected a request by Milton Keynes Hospital for a doctor to carry out prostate cancer checks, forcing the doctor to break ranks anyway.
The minister said: “They [the BMA] seemed to think the mental anguish a delayed diagnosis can have on families wasn’t reason enough to call a striking doctor back to work.
“In this case, a doctor who was on the picket actually broke ranks and came back to work to help the six men waiting for prostate biopsies that could have saved their lives.
“So it is really no surprise that the BMA leadership have now chosen this moment of maximum danger to go ahead with Christmas strikes, when it poses the greatest risk to the NHS.”
BMA in ‘fantasy land’ health secretary claims
The war of words between the Health Secretary and doctors’ union has escalated since BMA members on Monday voted overwhelmingly to reject an offer by the government for improved job opportunities and push ahead with the five day strike.
Streeting said: “After rejecting an offer that would have halved competition for jobs and put more money in resident doctors’ pockets, on top of a 28.9 per cent pay rise, the BMA have proved they are in fantasy land.
“They are chasing after unrealistic demands for a further 26 per cent pay rise, and meanwhile continue to show a shocking disregard for patient safety.
“This behaviour is not new. Back in July, the BMA rejected a request by Milton Keynes Hospital for a doctor to carry out prostate cancer checks. They seemed to think the mental anguish a delayed diagnosis can have on families wasn’t reason enough to call a striking doctor back to work.
“In this case, a doctor who was on the picket actually broke ranks and came back to work to help the six men waiting for prostate biopsies that could have saved their lives.
“So it is really no surprise that the BMA leadership have now chosen this moment of maximum danger to go ahead with Christmas strikes, when it poses the greatest risk to the NHS.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting during a visit to NHS England’s headquarters at Wellington House in London in November. Photographer: James Manning/PA Wire“They dismissed an offer to extend the BMA’s strike mandate, so they could postpone this action and go ahead once the alarming levels of flu in NHS hospitals had calmed.
“That is why I am asking ordinary, hard working and honourable resident doctors to leave the picket lines this week to protect patient safety in emergency situations, and we will not tolerate the BMA trying to block care being administered to patients in need.”
Record number of people in hospital for flu
There are concerns that NHS hospitals will struggle to cope with covering emergency treatment, including the ongoing influx of flu patients, which is set to increase in the days before Christmas.
Figures last week showed the number of people in hospital with flu are at record levels for this time of year, and NHS leaders believe the season has not yet reached its peak.
But there are differences of opinion among experts over when the peak of the flu epidemic, caused by the H3N2 strain, will arrive. The height of flu cases and hospital admissions is normally in January, but this year the season began around two to three weeks early, meaning the peak could come during Christmas week.
Streeting added: “NHS staff have a truly impressive track record of pulling together to mitigate the impacts of strike action in the past – I have no doubt they will dig deep in another herculean effort to keep patients as safe as possible this winter.
“They should not be in this position once again, with their colleagues in the BMA deserting them. Thank you to each and every single member of staff who will be covering this Christmas for the personal sacrifices you will be making to fill these gaps over the festive period.”
The BMA has been contacted for comment.
On Monday the union said it “remains committed to ensuring patient safety” during the walkout.
On Tuesday morning Dr Shivam Sharma, deputy chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee,denied that patients would die during the strike.
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“We know that senior colleagues, consultants will be covering this strike action,” he told LBC.
“Studies have shown that mortality rates do not increase, they stay the same, if not decrease during strike action because we have those experienced senior consultants that are covering.
“What’s dangerous for patients is continuing down this trend where doctors continue to leave patients aren’t getting the care that they deserve, and doctors are feeling that they’re in a system that is setting them up to fail.”
He said that the feedback the union received was that the Government’s offer “doesn’t go far enough on both jobs and pay”.
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