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| Junior doctors' strikes increasingly hard to justify, says regulator | Junior doctors' strikes increasingly hard to justify, says regulator |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The ongoing campaign of strikes by junior doctors are increasingly hard to justify because they are causing suffering for patients, the boss of Britain’s medical regulator has said. | |
| Prof Terence Stephenson said the 24,500 operations cancelled so far because of the four strikes since January had already caused pain to patients. He said the all-out strikes due later this month, in which junior doctors plan to withdraw even emergency cover, would put patients at risk of greater harm. | Prof Terence Stephenson said the 24,500 operations cancelled so far because of the four strikes since January had already caused pain to patients. He said the all-out strikes due later this month, in which junior doctors plan to withdraw even emergency cover, would put patients at risk of greater harm. |
| Stephenson, chair of the General Medical Council, made clear that he backed the NHS medical director Prof Sir Bruce Keogh’s warning to England’s 45,000 junior doctors that their all-out strikes planned for 26 and 27 April were ill-advised and potentially damaging to patients. | Stephenson, chair of the General Medical Council, made clear that he backed the NHS medical director Prof Sir Bruce Keogh’s warning to England’s 45,000 junior doctors that their all-out strikes planned for 26 and 27 April were ill-advised and potentially damaging to patients. |
| Related: All-out junior doctors’ strike unethical and reckless, says NHS chief | Related: All-out junior doctors’ strike unethical and reckless, says NHS chief |
| “We are not suggesting that industrial action can never be justified, but it does become increasingly hard to justify the longer the action goes on, the more intense it becomes and the more patient care suffers as a result,” Stephenson said. | “We are not suggesting that industrial action can never be justified, but it does become increasingly hard to justify the longer the action goes on, the more intense it becomes and the more patient care suffers as a result,” Stephenson said. |
| “Before we reach the next day of action, doctors who are thinking about taking part should carefully consider the impact it will have on patients – both the cumulative effect and the additional risks created by withdrawing emergency cover. | “Before we reach the next day of action, doctors who are thinking about taking part should carefully consider the impact it will have on patients – both the cumulative effect and the additional risks created by withdrawing emergency cover. |
| “Care which is deemed safe during the period of industrial action may still result in patient harm – a patient in chronic pain may experience harm each time a pain-relieving elective operation is cancelled,” he added. | “Care which is deemed safe during the period of industrial action may still result in patient harm – a patient in chronic pain may experience harm each time a pain-relieving elective operation is cancelled,” he added. |
| The GMC is finalising fresh guidance to all of Britain’s 250,000 doctors, which it will publish this week, about their responsibilities to patients and the risk of harm to patients during industrial action. | The GMC is finalising fresh guidance to all of Britain’s 250,000 doctors, which it will publish this week, about their responsibilities to patients and the risk of harm to patients during industrial action. |
| Stephenson, a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, took issue with the British Medical Association’s decision to escalate their protests against a new contract that the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, plans to impose on junior doctors. | Stephenson, a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, took issue with the British Medical Association’s decision to escalate their protests against a new contract that the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, plans to impose on junior doctors. |
| “Taking thousands of doctors out of emergency frontline care in England is unprecedented and cannot be done without putting patients at greater risk of harm,” he said. | “Taking thousands of doctors out of emergency frontline care in England is unprecedented and cannot be done without putting patients at greater risk of harm,” he said. |
| Dr Johann Malawana, chair of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, said strikes were “something that junior doctors have agonised over but have been left with no choice. | Dr Johann Malawana, chair of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, said strikes were “something that junior doctors have agonised over but have been left with no choice. |
| “Patients – the people we care for day in, day out – remain our first priority. We are sorry for the disruption this action may cause them, but by continuing to ignore junior doctors’ outstanding concerns, the government has left them with no option but to take short-term action to prevent the long-term impact on the NHS and the care it delivers.” | “Patients – the people we care for day in, day out – remain our first priority. We are sorry for the disruption this action may cause them, but by continuing to ignore junior doctors’ outstanding concerns, the government has left them with no option but to take short-term action to prevent the long-term impact on the NHS and the care it delivers.” |
| He urged the health secretary to drop his threat to impose the contract from August and to resume negotiations, which ended in failure in early February. | He urged the health secretary to drop his threat to impose the contract from August and to resume negotiations, which ended in failure in early February. |
| During the all-out strikes, junior doctors – medics below the level of consultant – will refuse to work in areas of critical care such as A&E, maternity services, intensive care and emergency surgery, where patients’ lives are at risk and teams of doctors working together, both junior and senior, can be needed to maximise the chances of survival. However, it is uncertain how many in those medical specialties will join the walkout and how many will work normally. | |
| The Guardian understands that a significant number of obstetricians and gynaecologists plan to report for their shifts on the two strike days because their consciences will not allow them to withdraw their labour in case it leads to a patient coming to harm. | |
| Dr Liam Brennan, president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, said the NHS was facing an unprecedented situation, as junior doctors had never before staged a total withdrawal of cover. | |
| “Undoubtedly consultants and other non-training grade doctors will do everything they can to maintain patient safety. But as the demands for urgent and emergency care are by definition unpredictable, the impact remains to be seen. | |
| “The prospect of all-out strike action is one of the most difficult ethical decisions any doctor could possibly have to take and I am confident that all of my junior colleagues will weigh up carefully the implications for patient welfare, the long-term interests of the NHS and the profession and the justice of their cause when considering their personal position,” he added. | |
| A spokesman for Hunt said: “Withdrawing emergency care poses huge risks to patient safety and will be very difficult for the consultants, nurses and other allied health professionals who will be stretched to provide cover. This action is disproportionate, so we urge the BMA to call their damaging and unnecessary strike off.” | |
| Full statement by Prof Terence Stephenson, chair of the General Medical Council | Full statement by Prof Terence Stephenson, chair of the General Medical Council |
| “The decision to withdraw emergency cover and to proceed with a prolonged campaign of industrial action represents a significant escalation of this dispute. Taking thousands of doctors out of emergency frontline care in England is unprecedented and cannot be done without putting patients at greater risk of harm. To suggest otherwise would be a disservice to the enormous contribution made by doctors in training to the care and treatment of NHS patients every day. | “The decision to withdraw emergency cover and to proceed with a prolonged campaign of industrial action represents a significant escalation of this dispute. Taking thousands of doctors out of emergency frontline care in England is unprecedented and cannot be done without putting patients at greater risk of harm. To suggest otherwise would be a disservice to the enormous contribution made by doctors in training to the care and treatment of NHS patients every day. |
| “Many doctors in training feel alienated, unvalued and deeply frustrated and this extends far beyond the current contractual dispute. There is a pressing need to address these deep-seated concerns. Given our responsibilities for overseeing the education and training of doctors throughout the UK, the General Medical Council is keen to work with all parties to find a way forward that improves the working lives of doctors in training. But we recognise that this will be difficult if the current contractual dispute has not come to an end. | “Many doctors in training feel alienated, unvalued and deeply frustrated and this extends far beyond the current contractual dispute. There is a pressing need to address these deep-seated concerns. Given our responsibilities for overseeing the education and training of doctors throughout the UK, the General Medical Council is keen to work with all parties to find a way forward that improves the working lives of doctors in training. But we recognise that this will be difficult if the current contractual dispute has not come to an end. |
| “The evidence from medical directors and employers suggests that while the NHS in England has coped well during the action taken so far, it has placed hospitals and other services under even more pressure. More than 24,000 patients have already had their operations cancelled as a result. The concern now being expressed by NHS organisations is that, in spite of extensive planning and additional support from senior doctors, some hospitals may be unable to provide safe care for all their patients. | “The evidence from medical directors and employers suggests that while the NHS in England has coped well during the action taken so far, it has placed hospitals and other services under even more pressure. More than 24,000 patients have already had their operations cancelled as a result. The concern now being expressed by NHS organisations is that, in spite of extensive planning and additional support from senior doctors, some hospitals may be unable to provide safe care for all their patients. |
| “Care which is deemed safe during the period of industrial action may still result in patient harm – a patient in chronic pain may experience harm each time a pain relieving elective operation is cancelled. | “Care which is deemed safe during the period of industrial action may still result in patient harm – a patient in chronic pain may experience harm each time a pain relieving elective operation is cancelled. |
| “The circumstances facing each doctor will be different and the decision must be based on an assessment of their individual situation. We are not suggesting that industrial action can never be justified but it does become increasingly hard to justify the longer the action goes on, the more intense it becomes, and the more patient care suffers as a result. Before we reach the next day of action, doctors who are thinking about taking part should carefully consider the impact it will have on patients – both the cumulative effect and the additional risks created by withdrawing emergency cover. | “The circumstances facing each doctor will be different and the decision must be based on an assessment of their individual situation. We are not suggesting that industrial action can never be justified but it does become increasingly hard to justify the longer the action goes on, the more intense it becomes, and the more patient care suffers as a result. Before we reach the next day of action, doctors who are thinking about taking part should carefully consider the impact it will have on patients – both the cumulative effect and the additional risks created by withdrawing emergency cover. |
| “At the outset of this dispute we issued guidance to doctors in England. With the planned escalation we are in an unprecedented situation and next week we will be issuing further guidance both to doctors contemplating action as well as to senior members of the profession. Our guidance is based on the fundamental principle that the first concern of every doctor must be the welfare of their patients.” | “At the outset of this dispute we issued guidance to doctors in England. With the planned escalation we are in an unprecedented situation and next week we will be issuing further guidance both to doctors contemplating action as well as to senior members of the profession. Our guidance is based on the fundamental principle that the first concern of every doctor must be the welfare of their patients.” |