MORE strikes are the biggest threat to the NHS this winter as hospitals fear another A&E meltdown, bosses warn.
Ministers and NHS chiefs met at Downing Street yesterday to prepare for the health service’s hardest season.
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They are bracing for more waves of Covid and flu cases while chipping away at the record surgery backlog and suffering doctors’ strikes.
Consultants and junior doctors in the British Medical Association will strike together for the first time next Wednesday, September 20, with walkouts expected into the new year.
Miriam Deakin, from NHS Providers, which represents hospital bosses, said: “Leaders tell us that the most pressing challenge facing the NHS this winter is now the real prospect of sustained industrial action.
“These walkouts are a drag on efforts to reduce record high waiting lists and are undermining staff morale.
“More needs to be done to resolve these protracted disputes.”
Last winter saw the worst A&E and ambulance delays on record, with even heart attack and stroke patients waiting an hour or more for medics to arrive.
Dr Adrian Boyle, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “We are concerned about how we’re going to be able to look after our patients this winter.
“Last winter was extremely difficult and the worst we ever saw.
“We still think our system is fragile and not sufficiently resilient to avoid a similar situation.”
The Department of Health said hospitals will face “increased pressure from flu, Covid and seasonal illness – combined with industrial action”.
The NHS will open more beds, treat more patients at home and get more ambulances on the road this year.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay last night pledged another £200million to NHS hospitals and £40million to councils for social care, to cut waits and get people home quicker.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Winter is the most challenging time for the health service, which is why we’ve been planning for it all year.
“This extra £200 million will bolster the health service during its busiest period, while protecting elective care so we can keep cutting waiting lists.”
Professor Philip Banfield, of the BMA, said: “How can Steve Barclay claim to be shoring up the NHS for winter while refusing to engage with the doctors he needs to deliver that care?
“If the Health Secretary really wants to support the NHS through the winter and beyond then his next step should be to re-open talks with doctors and put an end to strikes.”