PATIENTS will needlessly be stuck in hospital for Christmas owing to the junior doctors’ strike, an NHS chief has warned.
Their 72-hour walkout ended yesterday — but their return to wards has come too late for many.
Doctors return to wards will come too late to discharge many patients before ChristmasPA
Those well enough will not now be discharged in time to spend Christmas Day at home with their loved ones.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of NHS Confederation, said of the strikes in a BBC interview: “There has been some impact in terms of being able to discharge people before Christmas.
“Most years, we are able to discharge more people so they can be with their families, but that’s been slowed down.”
Mr Taylor also warned junior doctors will put patients at risk when they stage their next walkout from 7am on January 3 to 7am on January 9.
It will be the longest strike in the NHS’s 75-year history and at a time when the service is facing mounting seasonal pressure.
Mr Taylor added: “There are real issues around patient safety and we don’t have in place national derogations, which we have had for other strikes.
“There will also be an impact on the backlog.”
The British Medical Association — the union organising the strikes — has urged ministers to get back around the negotiating table with a “credible” offer.
Hitting back, Rishi Sunak branded the action “disappointing” and urged junior doctors to call off their damaging walkouts.
Junior doctors in Wales will walk out for 72 hours from January 15.
Doctors in Northern Ireland are being balloted for strike action.