Patients are being warned to stay away from their GP surgery until the New Year as doctors go on strike.
The NHS has been hit with a nightmare end to the year as surgeries across England say they can only prioritise urgent cases. It comes as just four working days are free from strikes over a three week period.
And, with surgeries closing for Christmas on Friday night, patients have been told routine appointments look likely to be off the table until January. The first round of strikes will end at 7am on Saturday before the longest in NHS history will begin on January 3, reports the Telegraph.
The strike will last for six consecutive days. Patient groups now fear the NHS was in “meltdown,” claiming it was the “last thing older people need”.
NHS bosses have however said patients should continue to contact their GP or the 111 service during industrial action. Multiple surgeries have though warned against attempting to make appointments.
One patient said they were “sick of the [GPs] demanding a 35 per cent pay rise and putting lives at risk this Christmas.”
Another said they were being directed to 111 despite an urgent need. Traditionally GP surgeries only operate Monday to Friday, meaning they are scheduled to be closed until at least December 27 due to Christmas.
Junior doctors, who are training to become family doctors, are thought to make up around one in four of the GP workforce, reports The Telegraph. This accounts for 10,000 of England’s 37,000 GPs.
Hall Grove Group Practice in Hertfordshire said it was closing its eConsult service for three weeks until the strike action ends. This is because all 13 of the doctors using it are on strike.
While Forest Practice, in Essex, said it had “fewer appointments” available due to its trainee GPs taking industrial action. A note on its website says: “If you think your problem can be dealt with on a non-strike day, we’d be grateful if you could call back.”
Stubbington Medical Practice in Fareham, Hampshire was among those saying it would not “be booking routine GP appointments from Friday 15 December 2023 to Tuesday 2 January 2024”.
Dennis Reed, director of over 60s campaign group Silver Voices, said: “When every aspect of the NHS is in meltdown, the last thing older people need is protracted industrial action.
“The Government has the responsibility of providing safe health services for the UK population, and should sit down with the unions and resolve this dispute. The junior doctors retain widespread support and making them public enemy number one is a counter-productive strategy.”
The British Medical Association – the union representing doctors – this week denied claims from Health Secretary Victoria Atkins that it walked away from talks. BMA co-chair Dr Robert Laurenson said: “It is the Government’s insistence that they will not talk while strikes are scheduled that is blocking progress and wasting unnecessary time.”
