As the government continues to push forward its NHS reform bill, doctors express their concern with possible strike action. The proposed ballot to strike is a direct result of doctors concerns over the possibility of more than 50 hospital units closing, as well as changes in pay and pensions. 

With more hospital units closing will inevitably see patient care suffering as doctor jobs and doctor recruitment is cutback due to closures and efficiency saving measures. 

The Chairman of the BMA’s Consultant Committee, Dr Mark Porter, said, “The brutal cuts being made to the NHS would lead to the rationing of treatment and hospitals becoming financially unviable as they are undermined by private competitors.”

He went on further to criticise the Government for meddling with the NHS and breaking their pre-election promise to protect the NHS and said, “Ministers stubborn refusal to listen to expert critics suggested they were motivated by ideology.” 

Dr Porter’s claims come on the back of the BMA conference which called for a motion of the health bill to be withdrawn, but agreed to continue with negotiations. Furthermore, the conference delegates took their first steps towards a ballot, which could effectively see industrial action over their pay and pensions. 

If the strike does go ahead, this would be the first time since 1975 that doctors have taken industrial action. The move to possibly strike is in the wake of growing opposition to the reforms that would see the abolition of two tiers of management, as well as allowing private firms to compete for patient care. 

On top of the government’s reform, the NHS is under pressure to save £20 billion over the next three years through efficiency saving measures, which is likely to see jobs go across the NHS including doctors, GPs, GP Locums, Locums, midwives and nurses. 

In his speech to the annual BMA consultants conference, Dr Porter said, “That the coalition had promised to give GPs and patients more power as well as ending top-down reorganisations of the health service.”

“They had then devised the single largest top-down NHS reorganisation ever, while the public justification for new laws may not look like a recognisable truth at all in years to come.” 

“That truth is that this bill aims to transform the NHS by making the development of a market in health care the most important priority in the NHS.”

“Local services are already being closed or rationed across the country and that patients should watch out if they need treatment.”

“It seems that on the most conservative commissioning assumptions about reducing low-priority services, 58 hospital trusts will be unable to cover the costs of entire service departments.”

“This is because of the effect if losing economies of scale, and of being left with unalterable fixed costs after removal of a proportion of variable revenue.”

“The toxic legacy of ‘private finance initiative’ deals to build new hospitals under Labour could mean the government having to bail out private firms who have profited from the schemes, but whose services will be undermined by the devastating introduction of competition from private healthcare providers.”

“This government’s stubborn and obdurate refusal to listen is starting to look as if the purpose in this bill is more the exercise of ideology and authority, than a desire to engage doctors in improving healthcare.”

Furthermore, Dr Porter went on to describe, “a pay freeze and the removal of performance bonuses for hospital consultants as special punishment and proof that the medical profession is treated with disdain by politicians who enjoy far more generous public sector pensions.”

After Dr Porter spoke at the BMA consultants’ conference, consultants voted in favour of motions for the BMA to explore proposals “including industrial action” in response to attacks on doctors’ pay rises, pensions and clinical excellence awards. However, the BMA Council would have to agree any decision before a ballot could be taken. 

The last time industrial action was taken was back in 1975, when junior doctors worked to rule over a dispute in working hours. Since then any threat of strike by doctors has seen ministers making concessions to prevent any industrial action taken by doctors. 

A Department of Health spokesman, said, “If we want to preserve the NHS for future generations, we must act now.”

“We have protected the NHS and are ploughing in an extra £10.7 billion of funding. But the NHS must modernise in order to keep up with the increasing demand on services, an ageing population and rising costs of new drugs and treatments.”

“The only way we can deliver productivity gains is by increasing clinical involvement. In addition, requiring all hospitals to become Foundation Trusts will help them become stronger and more productive.”

“Our plans to modernise the NHS will release £1.7 billion savings every year, helping the NHS meet its efficiency target. They will also help put the NHS on a sustainable financial footing through reduced bureaucracy and much stronger incentives for quality and efficiency.”

With doctors taking possible strike action over the government’s reform of the NHS, the uncertainty of future doctor jobs is still a key concern for the medical profession, as well as providing quality patient care. At MPP Locums, we continue to work in partnership with NHS Trusts and private health care providers across the UK to provide locum doctor jobs and doctor jobs at all levels. 

Contact our registration team today if you want to be part of our growing medical specialist team.