Five-Day Doctor Strike Concludes with Minimal Service Impact
Hospital services across Birmingham and Solihull experienced only minimal disruption despite a major five-day walkout by resident doctors earlier this month. The industrial action, which took place between November 14 and 19, saw up to 75 per cent of the medics in the area participate in a dispute concerning pay and training.
NHS Leadership Praises Exceptional Planning Efforts
Members of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust board were informed that the vast majority of services were successfully delivered to patients throughout the strike period. Chief Executive Jonathan Brotherton commended the forward planning and dedication of hospital teams.
He stated: "We've dealt with five days of industrial action by resident doctors. I'm really pleased to report that while we had a walkout rate of around 70-75 per cent from our resident doctors, we have managed to maintain almost all of our clinical activity for patients."
"We had a high 90 per cent of delivery of what we would ordinarily do, so very minimal disruption to our patients," Mr. Brotherton added, highlighting that this success was due to incredible planning, flexibility, and resourcefulness from both clinical and non-clinical staff.
Union Warns of Further Action Amid Pay Dispute
The British Medical Association (BMA) union stated that the strike sent a strong message to the Government. The union warned that resident doctors are prepared to take further action in December if necessary.
The BMA criticised the Government's evidence to the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB), stating it amounts to a substantive pay cut. They emphasised that resident doctors' pay has already fallen by more than a fifth since 2008.
The union affirmed that "resident doctors won't back down until the Government wakes up to the scale of the crisis over pay and lack of specialty training places."
