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TeaThere’s no “good” time to go on strike in the National Health ServiceAnd certainly not during its now regular winter crisis – which is becoming particularly acute now because of “flunami”.
Strikes are meant to cause disruption. But in a public service as vital as the NHS, there must be a balance to be struck, and one where it is primarily the patients, not the politicians, who will experience the pain of missed appointmentsTreatment and operation.
The right to strike, even in the NHS, is a fundamental right, and should be respected, but abuse of it in the way now being planned by resident doctors brings them and their cause – which is not without merit – into disrepute. In such cases as This, public support is vital for successAnd it appears to have been continually destroyed during years of continuous strike action.
In the case of resident doctors, the arrival of a Labor government led to increased investment in the NHS, improved promotion prospects in the consultancy sector and very high pay increases. There seems to be no significant difference in their attitudeFor many who face even greater difficulties due to the cost of living crisis, and who have to rely on the NHS – the vast majority of the population – this latest wave of strike action is not going to attract much sympathy,
Yet Dr Tom Dolphin, chairman of the British Medical Association Council, shows dangerous indifference. While their members are considering an improved offer on jobs and training from the government, they refused to reconsider the timing of the strike. Yet he points out, this is increasing chaos and uncertainty in an already overstretched NHS. Independent: “The NHS is already struggling all the time… We are stressed, and this has been going on since the summer. So it’s not just a winter crisis, it’s really a year-round crisis.”
In one sense this is true – but it is only part of the picture. Hospitals are now clearly under pressure never seen before Covid pandemic once in a centuryAnd the threat to patient safety is real. It’s easy to pretend otherwise.
The head of the NHS Providers Association, which covers all branches of the running of the health service, has warned that: “The volume of 999 calls, the number of patients being admitted to hospital is huge – this feels like a moment where you need to bring all your workforce together, all hands on deck to care for the huge number of patients.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting says there is an unprecedented rise in the number of people hospitalized due to flu complications She’s “really scared” about what might happen next.Even ignoring the fact that he has a vested interest in the doctors postponing his action (which he is prepared to facilitate), there can be no doubt that Mr Streeting is right: this is the moment of real danger, Life may be endangered, and patient welfare will certainly be affected,
Dr. Dolphin has requested that senior doctors take care of their more junior colleagues, that some of the resident doctors on strike come in for overtime (the kind of racket that enrages the public) and that rescheduling non-urgent, unplanned care would relieve stress.
Some of this may be true, and it is a tribute to much-maligned NHS managers that they have become so adept at adjusting to strikes. that they can minimize the impact in most situationsHowever, the crisis on the wards prompted by the so-called “super flu” means this is not even a normal situation for this time of year,
This is an extraordinary situation, and it calls for resident doctors – who are hard-working, compassionate professionals – to reconsider the impact they are going to have on those in their care. It would not be surprising to see many resident doctors reject this particular call for solidarity.
For the rest of the country who are not in hospital, awaiting an operation or otherwise directly involved in the controversy, there are also steps that can be taken to reduce the burden on the NHS, help save lives and, indeed, protect themselves during the flu pandemic. Vaccination is a safe and well-established way to reduce the worst effects of flu infection, and others always have a duty to prevent them from being exposed to the virus.
This means staying home if sick if possible and wearing a mask when going out to protect more vulnerable people. The same simple precautions against easily transmitted airborne viruses that we took during the Covid pandemic can be implemented again, albeit with less rigor. Once again, our NHS needs all the help we can get.