Medics will strike on October 2, 3 and 4 and are additionally planning to stroll out on September 19 and 20.
Consultants will nonetheless present “Christmas Day cover” through the strikes, which suggests emergency care can be supplied.
Health consultants warned that the “grim milestone” of 1 million postponed appointments is on the horizon.
The variety of inpatient and outpatient hospital appointments cancelled in England because the present spell of business motion started within the NHS in December 2022 now stands at 839,327.
If the group and psychological well being figures are included, the overall rises to almost 900,000 – although this is not going to replicate the general variety of precise cancellations, attributable to some duplication of knowledge.
Demand at A&E departments is often larger on financial institution vacation weekends however this, mixed with working a Christmas Day degree of service within the run-up, signifies that elevated pressures will in lots of locations imply sufferers can be confronted with extreme delays
Concerns have additionally been raised concerning the timing of the strike – simply earlier than the financial institution vacation weekend – which might put many companies out of motion for 5 days.
Many workers can be on annual go away and hotter climate seen in current days might see a hike in demand for care, NHS leaders stated.
This might imply sufferers might face “severe delays”, consultants stated.
The Government has insisted talks on pay are over after it stated consultants would obtain a 6% rise.
The BMA has condemned the rise as “insulting”, claiming consultants have skilled a “35% pay erosion” over the past 14 years.
NHS England’s nationwide medical director for secondary care, Dr Vin Diwakar, stated: “This latest action will again hit the NHS hard, with almost all routine care being affected.
“It also comes at a time when many staff are taking annual leave, so teams are already stretched, and some parts of the country have seen warm weather this week, which usually leads to an additional rise in demand for services, so we would ask people to take the usual precautions.
“We are working closely with unions to ensure we prioritise urgent and emergency care for patients, as ever, but there is no doubt that it becomes harder each time to bring routine services back on track following strikes, and the cumulative effect after nearly nine months for patients, staff and the NHS as a whole is enormous.”
People ought to proceed to make use of 999 for all times threatening emergencies and NHS 111 for different well being considerations, officers stated. GP and pharmacies are largely unaffected.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief govt of NHS Providers, added: “A two-day strike by senior doctors just before a bank holiday weekend and when many staff are on well-deserved summer holidays is a massive headache for the NHS.
“Trust leaders have once again put plans in place for cover and to minimise disruption as far as possible. But that gets harder and more expensive with every strike.
“Official figures show more than 897,000 routine procedures and appointments have been delayed due to strikes across the NHS since December. The true figure, including appointments that weren’t booked in because of industrial action, is likely to be significantly higher. And strikes have cost the NHS an estimated £1 billion.
“The Government and unions must find a solution urgently.”
Danny Mortimer, deputy chief govt of NHS Confederation, added: “With strike action backing onto a bank holiday weekend, this round will again have a significant impact on patients.
“Demand at A&E departments is usually higher on bank holiday weekends but this, combined with operating a Christmas Day level of service in the run-up, means that increased pressures will in many places mean patients will be faced with severe delays.
“All sides must do whatever it takes to avert the further walkout planned by consultants for September and prevent the NHS from reaching the grim milestone of one million cancelled operations.”
Dr Vishal Sharma, the BMA consultants committee chairman, stated: “No consultant wants to be striking and we head out to picket lines today with heavy hearts.
“We would much rather be inside the hospital seeing our patients. But we cannot sit by and watch passively as we are persistently devalued, undermined and forced to watch colleagues leave – much to the detriment of the NHS and patients.
“By refusing to talk to us – and it’s now been 150 days since the Health Secretary met with us – it just shows that the Government is not serious about the NHS, its workforce or patients.
“Our message to the Prime Minister is that we are serious about protecting the consultant workforce and thereby the NHS and patients.
“We are striking today, and will do so again in September and October, but the Prime Minister has the power to avert any further action at all, by getting around the table and presenting us with a credible offer.
“Consultants are clear that they’re prepared to take regular action and politicians must be left in no doubt that our dispute will not go away simply because they refuse to negotiate. We will not be ignored.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay, stated: “I am concerned and disappointed that the BMA has gone ahead with this industrial action, which will continue to affect patients and hamper efforts to cut NHS waiting lists.
“I’m aware some consultants cut short their annual leave over the most recent periods of industrial action by the BMA Junior Doctors Committee and I am incredibly grateful to those staff who came forward to help protect patients and services.
“We have accepted the independent pay review body recommendations in full, giving consultants a 6% pay rise, which means average NHS earnings for consultants of £134,000, on top of a pension where generous tax changes mean a consultant can retire at age 65 with a pension each year for life of £78,000 a year. This pay award is final and I urge the BMA to call an end to strikes.”
Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow well being secretary, stated: “The Conservatives have given up any attempt to solve strikes in the NHS. Rishi Sunak refuses to speak to doctors and instead shamelessly uses them as an excuse for his failure to cut waiting lists.
“Patients don’t want excuses, they want action. If the Conservatives have given up on governing, they should step aside and let Labour clean up their mess.
“There were no national NHS strikes when Labour was last in office. We need a government that will treat NHS staff with respect, open its door for talks, and bring these strikes to an end.”
Consultants will take to picket traces from 7am on Thursday till 7am on Saturday.
It is the second spherical of strikes consultants have staged within the present dispute, with hundreds of medics absent from work through the first walkout in July.
Junior medical doctors are persevering with their dispute with the Government and a 3rd group of hospital medical doctors in England – specialist, affiliate specialist and specialty medical doctors – are planning for an indicative poll on industrial motion “unless the Government makes an offer to urgently improve their pay and working conditions”, the BMA has stated.
