London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

'Huge concern' over worst NHS strike yet: Junior doctors walkout could see '250,000 appointments postponed'

'Huge concern' over worst NHS strike yet: Junior doctors walkout could see '250,000 appointments postponed'

Junior medics in England are striking from Tuesday but the British Medical Association has said the government could still make a "credible offer" to end the dispute. Health leaders fear the strikes could put patient safety at risk.
There is "huge concern" from NHS leaders that a four-day junior doctors strike next week will be the most disruptive walkout for the health service so far.

Up to a quarter of a million appointments and operations could be postponed, the NHS Confederation has warned, amid fears that patient safety could be jeopardised.

Health bosses have warned that the disruption could last for up to 10 or 11 days.

Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the confederation, said they were more concerned by this bout of industrial action than any previous walkouts over the last few months.

Junior medics in England are striking from Tuesday but the British Medical Association (BMA) has said the government could still make a "credible offer" that would help to bring the dispute to an end.

Dr McCay told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "In the last junior doctors' strike, we saw about 175,000 appointments and operations having to be postponed.

"In terms of the disruption that we're anticipating this time, we reckon it could be up to about a quarter of a million so that is a huge amount of impact for patients up and down the country."

She added: "What we're hearing from our members who are health leaders across the whole system is that they are more concerned about this than they have been about any other strike.

"They think that the impact is going to be so significant that this one is likely to have an impact on patient safety and that is a huge concern for every healthcare leader."

"What we expect to see is really significantly diminished capacity within the health service with these junior doctors being out," she said.

The Department of Health and Social Care, headed by Steve Barclay, has insisted the BMA has to call off strike action before any negotiations can take place.

Dr Mike Greenhalgh, deputy co-chair of the BMA's Junior Doctors Committee, told BBC One's Breakfast show: "It's hard to negotiate when only one side is doing it and we're not getting anything back from the government on that front."

He added: "We're happy to meet at any time. We would still meet him over the bank holiday weekend before the industrial action next week.

"And if [Barclay] was to bring a credible offer to us, it could still, even at this late stage, avert action."

Dr Greenhalgh apologised to patients who have had operations or appointments cancelled and insisted patient safety would not be put at risk.

"Patient safety was maintained at the last strikes, and it will be in these strikes," he said.

The four days of strikes will run from 6.59am on Tuesday 11 April until 6.59am on Saturday 15 April.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×