NHS Wales chief warns of 'significant disruption' ahead of junior doctors strike
Industrial action starts on Wednesday (21 February) for 72 hours by junior doctors with the BMA after rejecting a 5 per cent deal
The head of NHS Wales is urging everyone to help reduce the burden on the health service - by considering other options to attending hospital unless they need urgent care.
Judith Paget's comments come ahead of the industrial action, starting on Wednesday (21 February) for 72 hours by junior doctors with the BMA after rejecting a 5 per cent deal.
Health minister Eluned Morgan says the offer is at the 'limits of the finances available' to the Welsh Government, adding they're 'always open to have more talks'.
Eluned Morgan added: "We are disappointed that junior doctors have decided to take further industrial action in Wales, but we understand their strength of feeling about our 5% pay offer.
"Our offer is at the limits of the finances available to us and reflects the position reached with the other health unions. But we will continue to press the UK Government to pass on the funding necessary for full and fair pay rises for public sector workers.
"We remain committed to working in social partnership with the British Medical Association and are always open to have more talks."
NHS Wales Chief Executive Judith Paget said: "As during the last strike we welcome the collaborative approach on patient safety taken by the British Medical Association. We have been working with them and NHS organisations to ensure patient safety is protected during the industrial action.
"We expect significant disruption to non-emergency and elective activities during the industrial action, with much work already been postponed. During the last strike around 41% of outpatient appointments and 61% of operations were postponed across Wales. We expected services during the industrial action to resemble those generally provided on a Bank Holiday.
"However, if you have a critical need to attend an emergency department you should still do so.
"But we are also urging everyone to consider the best option for them, including 111 online or phone service, or their local pharmacy."
The British Medical Association say the Welsh junior doctors committee made the decision to ballot members in August last year after being offered another below-inflation pay offer of 5% - which they say was the worst in the UK and lower than recommended by the DDRB (the review body for Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration).
The offer was put to the doctors just four months after the Welsh Government initially declared they would commit to the principle of pay restoration back in April 2023.
Following the ballot last year, 98 % of junior doctors in Wales who took part voted to strike in pursuit of pay restoration.
The UK Government's Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “I want to find a reasonable solution that ends strike action. This action called by the BMA Junior Doctor’s Committee does not signal that they are ready to be reasonable.
“We already provided them with a pay increase of up to 10.3% and were prepared to go further. We urged them to put an offer to their members, but they refused. We are also open to further discussions on improving doctors’ and the wider workforce’s working lives.
“I want to focus on cutting waiting times for patients rather than industrial action. We have been making progress with waiting lists falling for three months in a row.
“Five days of action will put enormous pressure on the NHS and is not in the spirit of constructive dialogue.
“To make progress I ask the Junior Doctor’s Committee to cancel their action and come back to the table to find a way forward for patients and our NHS.”
The first, a 72 hour full walkout will take place from Wednesday 21st February and the second a 96 hour full walkout from Monday 25th March.