NHS England warn of cancer and heart care risk due to strike

NHS England chiefs are warning that urgent heart and cancer care is being compromised by the ongoing doctors’ strike.

In a letter to the British Medical Association, NHS bosses also warned that there were problems ensuring emergency C-section births continued to be available.

However, the BMA said problems were due to bad planning with hospitals not cancelling enough non-emergency care.

NHS England’s letter went on to say they were becoming “increasingly concerned about time-sensitive urgent treatment”, which could include chemotherapy and urgent support for cancer patients who are unwell following treatment or patients suffering from heart failure, a condition which means the heart does not work as well as it should, who need ongoing support.

BMA leader Professor Phil Banfield said that on top of the cover provided, the BMA had agreed the NHS also had access to non-striking junior doctors and consultants – a third are not members of the union -as well as staff doctors who did not work at either grade and so were not eligible to strike.

He went on to say “There is clear evidence of the failure by some trusts to adequately prepare for industrial action.   In particular, the BMA is aware that some trusts have continued with significant amounts of elective activity during industrial action.”

Over one million appointments and treatments have been postponed since the start of the strike action in December last year.

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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