The British Medical Association has warned that changes to NHS strike planning could risk patient safety.
Resident – formerly junior – doctors in England are scheduled to walk out for five days from 7:00am on Friday 25 July, in a dispute about pay restoration.
In previous rounds of strike action, it had been agreed that elective or scheduled procedures would be postponed to free up senior doctors to cover for resident doctors in emergency and urgent care.
However, for the strikes due to begin on Friday, NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey has instructed hospitals to continue scheduled, non-urgent care.
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The BMA has written to Mackey outlining concerns that this change in policy will cause frustration and confusion for hospital leaders and potentially put patients at risk.
Last week, the union held “productive” talks with health secretary Wes Streeting, urging the government to put a credible offer on the table on pay and conditions, but there have so far been no further developments. The two sides are scheduled to meet again today.
In the letter, BMA council chair Dr Tom Dolphin and deputy council chair Dr Emma Runswick, said that hospital care “must adapt on strike days to the levels of staff available”.
“Your decision to instruct hospitals to run non-urgent planned care stretches safe staffing far too thinly, and risks not only patient safety in urgent and emergency situations, but in planned care too.
“It also appears designed to lead to far more late, same-day cancellations for patients. Consultants cannot safely provide elective care and cover for residents at the same time.”
They added that many hospital leaders were “equally worried” about the change in staffing policy – an agreement that has been in place with NHS England since 2015.
It continued: “We therefore strongly urge you to reconsider your instructions to hospitals, which should be preparing now to postpone non-urgent planned activity in order to provide a safe urgent and emergency service in keeping with the levels of staff available.”
The BMA also referred to a national “derogations” process where hospitals can request striking doctors to return to work if there is an unforeseen emergency or mass casualty event.
The union said it was still committed to this, but urged NHS England not to use this process to handle non-urgent care booked in for strike days.
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