Trust warns patients may come to harm if junior doctors’ strike goes ahead

Clinical leaders have called on the Government and unions to do everything in their power to stop the upcoming junior doctors’ strike. 

Hospitals are preparing for a very challenging week ahead, with hundreds of junior doctors set to go on strike for the second time in a month. 

As one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country, and a leading provider of local and specialist services for adults and children, staff at Guy’s and St Thomas’ are worried about the impact of further delays in care and longer waits, including for those patients waiting for cardiac surgery and cancer treatment.

The Trust comprises five of the leading hospitals in the UK – Guy’s Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital, Harefield Hospital and Evelina London Children’s Hospital. It also provides community services in Lambeth and Southwark.

Dr Simon Steddon, Chief Medical Officer at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “We are very concerned about the potential harm that may be caused by this strike, with further delays and longer waits for patients awaiting diagnosis and treatment. 

“Many people whose appointments or procedures are being cancelled will now have experienced this on multiple occasions, which is incredibly distressing for our patients, and their friends and families.”

The double-whammy of industrial action and the Easter bank holiday weekend is also expected to ramp up pressures at St George’s, Epsom and St Helier hospitals.

During the strikes last month, an average of 330 junior doctors walked out each day at these hospitals.

The strikes coincided with a surge in demand at the hospitals’ emergency departments, with more than 1,000 people, one every 90 seconds, coming through the doors on what was the busiest Monday of the year. 

Now, ahead of the fresh wave of strikes, members of the public are being urged to play their part by using NHS services wisely to ensure that care continues to be available for those who need it most.  

Members of the public are also advised that going to an emergency department when their condition is not life-threatening doesn’t mean they will be seen more quickly and they may be redirected to a more appropriate service such as a pharmacy or GP.

Pictured top: Junior doctors on strike on Monday outside St Thomas’ Hospital in Westminster Bridge Road (Picture: BMA/Sarah Turton)