Crucial cancer surgeries axed during doctors' strike

Crucial cancer surgeries have been cancelled during the doctors’ strike, The Independent understands, amid claims the union demanded extortionate” pay rates for staff to leave picket lines to respond to patients in need.

- REBECCA THOMAS HEALTH CORRESPONDENT

Cancer patients are among those to have their operations shelved this week, despite hospitals attempting to maintain planned care during the five-day walkout, which ends today and has seen thousands of resident doctors take action in an ongoing dispute over pay.

The revelation comes after NHS England chief Sir Jim Mackey wrote to staff yesterday saying that previous strikes had shown that "harm was being caused to patients" when emergency care was prioritised over planned operations. He also claimed that the British Medical Association (BMA) had asked for "extortionate pay rates" for striking doctors to return to work to address patient safety concerns.

The Independent understands the union had demanded that consultants who were asked to step in be paid thousands of pounds to cover a single night shift. However, the BMA hit back, saying the allegations by the NHS England chief were "unfounded and untrue", claiming resident doctors do not get enhanced rates to go back into work for what would be a usual shift. The union has said Sir Jim's claims are "wholly wrong" and called for an apology.

On Monday, NHS England confirmed it had made 58 requests to the BMA for doctors to work at hospitals where it believed patients could be at risk. Of these, 18 were rejected, and half of these were because the BMA would approve "only if extortionate pay rates were offered to striking doctors".