Practices are cancelling and refusing non-urgent appointments this week as the NHS is hit by the “most disruptive” strike ever.

Trainee GPs are taking part in the action which is expected to see some hospitals struggling to maintain emergency services. NHS organisations in England were reported to be taking unprecedented measures to keep critical services going – with cancellation of routine appointments extending to general practice, it has been reported. It was expected that 370,000 outpatient appointments would be cancelled – although NHS England has sought to discourage block cancellations.

According to one report in The Observer, some trusts have sought to pressurise consultants to take on extra work while others have offered locum rates of more than £80 an hour to trainee grade doctors. The paper went on to report that British Medical Association insiders are preparing for a year long campaign of industrial action if there are not major concessions on pay.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay sought to blame the British Medical Association for the action, writing for the Sunday Telegraph at the weekend.

He wrote: “It is deeply disappointing that this industrial action has been timed by the British Medical Association (BMA) Junior Doctors Committee to cause maximum disruption to both patients and other NHS staff.
Not only does the 96-hour walkout come straight after the Easter weekend, but it is also longer than previous walkouts. And it coincides with school holidays, Ramadan and Passover. This means NHS trusts have fewer staff to fill the gaps. As a result, there will be knock-on effects to services before and after the strike on top of the disruption during the action.”

Barclay claimed he wanted to find a “fair and affordable offer” – but that he declined to negotiate while the BMA did not move “significantly” from the 35% pay restoration claim. BMA chair Professor Philip Banfield responded that MP pay has increased by more than 30% since 2008.

BMA junior doctor committee co-chair Dr Vivek Trivedi responded: “We were knocking on the Health Secretary’s door, asking to meet with him to negotiate a settlement to this dispute, long before the current strike got under way. We have been in a formal dispute since October. He refused to respond and meet us until we had a strike ballot result. He has had months to put a credible offer on the table and avert industrial action so for him to say ‘it’s disappointing,’ is at best disingenuous. His decision to refuse to table a credible offer, indeed he has not tabled a single offer so far, means that this action is solely due to this government’s repeated inaction.”

NHS England medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: “The NHS has been preparing extensively for the next set of strikes but managing additional pressure doesn’t get easier as time goes by – it gets much more difficult – not only due to the sheer number of appointments that need to be rescheduled but also that they can take time to rearrange with multiple teams involved. This is set to be the most disruptive industrial action in NHS history, and the strikes tomorrow will bring immense pressures, coming on the back of a challenged extended bank holiday weekend for staff and services. Emergency, urgent and critical care will be prioritised but some patients will unfortunately have had their appointments postponed.”