Two days of strikes by nurses and paramedics will have a knock-on effect on appointments with a return to “very high numbers” of emergency calls in the coming days, NHS Providers has warned.

Historic strike action saw thousands of nurses picket on Tuesday and ambulance staff stage their biggest strike in 30 years yesterday.

Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, told Sky News that the next few days would be a “challenging time”.

The NHS is ‘haemorrhaging staff’

Talking about structural issues impacting the NHS, she said: “Staff on the frontline are significantly overstretched and we need to see a real growth in the number of staff across the whole of the NHS.

“What we’ve got to see now is the government come to the table and have a serious discussion and negotiation about pay because this dispute is about pay and it’s also about working conditions and keeping patients safe.”

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Highlighting the record high of NHS vacancies, with around 130,000 posts unfilled, she said: “We know that we are haemorrhaging staff because of pay and working conditions, particularly in more junior bands of NHS staff. So, we really have to do something about that.

“And it’s not just about the NHS. The government knows we need to do something about social care as well because social care is really on its knees and it needs a boost. And if if social care has a boost and the NHS frontline staff have the terms and conditions they need, then we will see an effective NHS.”

‘Severe effects on patient wellbeing’

The chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor, told Sky News that lack of investment in the NHS was now coming to the fore: “We know we had the 10 years of austerity. It meant we went into COVID with a hundred thousand vacancies, with a crumbling estate.

“So, what we’ve got now is a big gap between demand and capacity.”

He repeated calls to the government and trade unions to re-enter negotiations and to try to find a way of avoiding further strikes across the winter, saying: “We can’t afford to drift into further industrial action.”

While he said he understood both the concerns of the trade unions over pay, and the challenges facing the government over public spending, he warned: “We need leadership. We need imagination, because the health service cannot deal with a winter of industrial action without there being severe effects on patient wellbeing.”

‘Call 999 if you need to’

Appealing directly to anyone needing to use the NHS over the coming days, he said: “Primary care has not been affected by the industrial action… If you have concerns about your health, contact your GP. If you have an emergency, contact 999. If you’re not sure, ring 111. The services are there and do use them.”

The number of people calling 999 appeared to drop in some parts of England yesterday, and NHS Providers – the membership organisation for NHS hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services – said there had been “varying levels of disruption” across the country.

It said some demand had shifted to other services or not materialised as expected.

But the organisation said demand for care across the whole healthcare system remained high and trust leaders were reporting ongoing delays to ambulance services and overcrowding at some accident and emergency departments.

Nurses, ambulance staff, railway and postal workers have now returned to work, however, there are more strikes taking place today – with highway workers and driving test examiners among those downing tools.

The military steps in

NHS England said at least 11,509 staff were absent from work across England during strikes by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on Tuesday and 13,797 appointments and procedures had to be rescheduled.

Members of the military stepped in to take the place of ambulance workers yesterday, with trusts telling patients to only call 999 in the case of a life-threatening injury.

The next ambulance strike is due to take place on 28 December.

Read more:
Strikes every day before Christmas – which sectors are affected and why

Government could fast-track NHS pay rise

Meanwhile, reports said the government could fast-track an NHS pay rise next year.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Health Secretary Steve Barclay is poised to offer an expedited pay deal after unions and ministers remained mired in a stalemate over pay conditions.

The paper said a source close to Mr Barclay, who has been criticised by unions for suggesting striking health workers had “made a conscious choice to inflict harm on patients”, revealed he is keen to “speed up the process” of giving NHS staff a pay rise early next year.

Unions have said they expect NHS workers to be offered a 2% increase next year based on a letter Mr Barclay sent last month to the NHS Pay Review Body.

Wales strike action ‘upsetting to all’

Doctors in Wales are considering taking strike action for the first time, the British Medical Association Cymru has said.

Almost two-thirds of hospital doctors surveyed by the union said they would be willing to take some form of industrial action over pay and conditions.

Iona Collins, the BMA’s Welsh Council chairwoman, called the survey “upsetting to all” and said it is “gut-wrenching for doctors to consider walking away from work”.

She added: “Without action now, patients will continue to suffer as a direct consequence of an under-funded NHS with insufficient direct clinical care.”

In October, the BMA announced that a ballot for industrial action by junior doctors in England will open on 9 January.

Just under 1,000 doctors in Wales responded to the survey seeking views on a 4.5% pay award from the Welsh government – with 78% of those who answered saying they want a pay rise matching or exceeding inflation.

Dr Collins said: “Doctors have been quietly quitting the NHS for years, by reducing their contracted hours or leaving altogether. The financial incentive to remain in the NHS has eroded over the last decade.”

Who’s striking today?

National Highways workers will begin a walkout in London and the south east of England, which will last until Christmas Day.

This will affect officers who work in the aftermath of accidents as well as call centre staff. National Highways have said no roads will be closed as a result of the strike.

Workers for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in the north west of England, Yorkshire and Humber and North Wales will stop work.

Driving test examiners will also be striking, affecting driving test centres in north west England and Yorkshire and the Humber. Theory tests will not be affected.

Rural Payments Agency (RPA) staff will continue their walkout and Unison workers at the Environment Agency will refuse to provide on-call cover for unexpected incidents.

Unite members working for Highlands and Islands Airports will also be striking.