Strikes at Britain’s NHS health service have sparked concerns about severe shortages of emergency services and emergency doctors. “NHS leaders are deeply concerned about the level of suffering and risk patients may face tomorrow and beyond,” wrote Matthew Taylor, head of the NHS Confederation, which brings together health service organizations, in a letter to the prime minister. Rishi Sunak.
Patient safety cannot be guaranteed if ambulance drivers want to go on strike tomorrow. Tens of thousands of nurses and NHS staff in clinics have already stopped work today to emphasize their demand for significantly higher wages.
First attack in a hundred years
It is the first time that the industry body of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has called its members to strike in its more than 100-year history. Taylor urged Sunak to end the argument quickly.
The Conservative head of government has rejected current salary improvements. There is no scope for that in the fiscal year ending in early April, Sunak told the Chron newspaper. However, he indicated further accommodations the following year.
Critics speak of a “vicious circle”
Three emergency services in different parts of England have already declared a state of emergency today. There are “significant delays,” the Northeast Ambulance Service said. NHS workers are also protesting their working conditions. Critics speak of a vicious circle: emergency physicians need much longer than prescribed to reach emergency patients.
Ambulances, in turn, stand in line for hours in front of emergency rooms to deliver patients. In addition, more than seven million people are awaiting routine interventions. One reason is that the pandemic has created a huge backlog of treatments.