Thousands of senior doctors stage first strike in a decade as bosses warn NHS 'cannot fully function'
manchestereveningnews.co.ukThousands of senior NHS doctors are staging a strike across the country today - the first of its kind in over a decade. Consultant doctors and hospital-based dentists are taking part in industrial action for 48 hours from today (Thursday) until 7am on Saturday, a move that is expected to cause huge disruption to patients.
Health leaders have warned that planned care will come to a “virtual standstill”, with senior medics providing only emergency Christmas Day-style cover. Join our WhatsAp p Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link. Thousands of operations, procedures and appointments have been cancelled and are being rescheduled in the first consultant strike action in a decade.
It comes just two days after junior doctors staged a five-day walkout, the longest in the history of the NHS. More than 24,000 consultants voted in the British Medical Association (BMA) ballot for industrial action last month, with the vast majority (20,741 or 86%) voting in favour.
The Government has told consultants they will receive a 6% pay rise but the BMA has called this “derisory” and said doctors have seen real-term take-home pay fall by more than a third over the last 14 years.
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