I'm truly sorry for the impact of strikes on patients but it's not about lining our pockets

THE union orchestrating NHS strikes that have brought hospitals to a standstill has called for ministers to get round the table and end the bitter dispute.

- Giles Sheldrick

Since industrial action started some 900,000 operations and appointments have been axed.

Further walkouts are planned this autumn, heaping further misery on the sick and injured.

But Professor Philip Banfield, the British Medical Association's chair of council, suggested a compromise could be reached.

He said: "I want to get rid of these strikes as quickly as I can. We feel forced into this position.

"This is about sounding the alarm to the Government and Prime Minister, so they get back around the table.

"Ultimately, the power is in their hands to stop this. They can ensure that more appointments aren't cancelled and put an end to patient care disruption."

The bitter pay dispute will escalate this month and next when junior doctors and consultants walk out together as disruption reaches a new level, which could continue beyond the general election. Experts say the strikes could be the tipping point in the near year-long dispute.

Prof Banfield, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Glan Clwyd Hospital NHS Health Board, North Wales, gave his only interview on the strikes to the Daily Express, the trusted newspaper of his late mother Shirley.

He said: "I am truly sorry for the impact the strikes have on patients and staff working in the NHS.

"I've worked in the NHS for 40 years and a lot of things have changed for the better - tests, treatments and surgical techniques have advanced significantly.

"Back then, it was an exciting and attractive place to start your career. But jump to 2023 and the situation is dire - we are facing unprecedented strikes from doctors and other healthcare staff and the future of the NHS has never looked more uncertain."