NHS bosses in Suffolk say junior doctor strikes have been "devastating"
The longest walkout in NHS history ended this morning
Last updated 9th Jan 2024
Today marks the end of the longest strike in NHS history.
The six day strike by junior doctors with the BMA union saw them walking out in Suffolk and across the country.
Now, NHS bosses tell us they're relieved it's over, but say the impact has been devastating.
Nick Hulme is Chief Executive of Ipswich, Colchester, and the Norfolk and Norwich hospitals.
He told us they have managed to keep all their emergency patients safe but that elective patients (people with planned operations, outpatient appointments, diagnostic tests) have had their appointments and procedures delayed - causing a knock on effect throughout the NHS and their waiting lists.
Nick warned that these people could be impacted for "weeks or months to come."
How do patients feel about these delays?
We asked Nick if he had been able to speak with patients about their delayed appointments to which he revealed that he receives multiple emails every day from patients "describing what the wait means".
He told us it's been "heartbreaking to hear all their personal stories about the impact the delays have had on people's lives."
He continued, saying that these delays can "impact their ability to work... to spend comfortable time with their families" and that these people are "often in pain...anxious, or worried about what's wrong with them and how quickly they'll be seen."
He said it's important to remember these are "individual lives who are affected" and the emails he has read are "really, really sad."
He also remarked patients will be seen, although they may have to wait longer - acknowledging that "this isn't okay" as "thousands of people" are being affected "every time a strike takes place."
What he would like to see
We asked Nick if he was able to share his thoughts on the dispute between BMA and the government.
He remarked that he did not know what was going on behind closed doors but that both sides appear "to have set out their stall very clearly and there isn't any compromise in the middle."
He implores both sides to find common ground and reach and agreement:
"We know that all negotiated settlements require a degree of compromise... to remember that it is the patients who are paying the price for this ultimately, and I'm sure that nobody wants patients to continue to suffer in the way that they have."
He also said that the solution needs to be quick, affordable, and funded separately as well as "equitable for other members of staff" and recognising "the real frustration and anger often that junior doctors feel about their terms and conditions and their pay erosion.
"We can't find any pay rise from our existing budgets because we're not budgeted to do that."
The Health Secretary said she would sit down to negotiate with junior doctors if they enter talks with "reasonable expectations".