Patients face Christmas in hospital as striking doctors can’t discharge them
Thousands of patients who are ready to leave hospital could miss out on spending Christmas with their families due to the junior doctors strike, leading health organisations have warned.
Trainee doctors who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) began a three-day walkout at 7am on Wednesday, in the latest escalation of their bitter dispute over pay.
Age UK, NHS Confederation, Healthwatch England, National Voices and the Patients Association have warned as many as 13,000 patients are waiting to be discharged from hospitals across the country but may not be able to go home due to a shortage of junior doctors on wards.
The Health Secretary, Victoria Atkins, echoed their concerns on Wednesday, warning of the “enormous cost for individuals and for their families.”
She told broadcasters: “We know that these strikes, if they continue today, tomorrow and on Friday, it will mean that people will stay in hospital longer than if the strikes had not happened because hospitals will not be able to discharge them.
“So, there will be people spending Christmas in hospital rather than at home. That is an enormous cost for individuals and for their families.”
In a letter to the BMA and the Government expressing concerns that staff shortages could delay discharges, leaving healthy patients “stranded” in wards, the groups wrote: “There were 13,000 patients – many older people – waiting to be discharged in the first week of December.
“Strike action in the run-up to Christmas could see these numbers increase, leaving patients stranded in hospital over the holiday period despite being medically fit for discharge.”
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, told i that older people would bear the brunt of discharge delays.
She said: “As Christmas approaches, there’s nothing worse than the misery of many older people being stuck in a hospital bed for far longer than is necessary, potentially undermining their chances of making a good recovery.”
Ms Abrahams added: “We know that many lessons have been learned and huge efforts are being made to gear up the NHS to perform better in terms of discharges, but the NHS is under frightening pressure at the moment and with the further strike days looming we are worried that this may well leave more older people in hospital despite them being fit for discharge.”
The BMA’s junior doctors committee challenged the Government to make a new approach so strikes could be “cancelled today”, as conciliation service Acas said it was “ready to help” resolve the dispute.
Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairman of the BMA junior doctors committee, told i that a “credible” offer from the Government could bring an immediate end to industrial action.
He said: “If the Government has a credible offer in its back pocket – as Victoria Atkins has suggested they might – they can put that to us and we can bring it to our membership and call off strike action.
“So far, we have not seen any such further offer materialise.”
Last week, Ms Atkins said that a final offer had not been put to the BMA before more strikes were announced.
Dr Trivedi said the BMA had “never walked away from talks” and challenged the Government to table another proposal, insisting that there is no law prohibiting negotiations from continuing during a walkout.
The NHS has said emergency and urgent care will be prioritised during the strikes and that “almost all” routine care will be affected during the three-day strike.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for the NHS in England, said: “This is coming at the worst possible time of year for us where we are beginning to see those winter pressures that we always see around the festive season, with flu cases and Covid cases on the rise.
“So, there is no doubt this is going to be a challenging period and we will see disruption once again.”
Junior doctors – who make up around half of the medical NHS workforce – are also preparing for the longest walkout in NHS history in the new year – for six whole days from 3 January.
Professor Powis added: “This will be a disruptive period – three days this week (then) six days – the longest period of strike action that we’ve seen – early in the new year.
“Of course, that’s after the New Year festivities where we see activity growing, so it’s that second period of strike action in January that is giving us the most concern.”
Junior doctors in Wales are planning a 72-hour walkout from 15 January, while doctors in training in Northern Ireland are being balloted for potential strike action. Those in Scotland have already come to an agreement with the Scottish Government.
Consultant doctors from the BMA in England have reached a deal with the Government, with members currently voting whether or not to accept the deal.
Specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors in England have also come to an agreement, which is being put to members.
