Edmonton hospital is playing catch-up following series of walkouts by staff as part of nationwide industrial action, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Strikes have led to more than 5,000 cancelled appointments across an NHS trust – and cost it more than £1million.

A report by North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust says cancellations caused by nationwide walkouts represent a “significant setback on NHS plans to improve the quality of care and the reputation of the service”.

NHS staff have staged a series of strikes this year over pay and working conditions, with the British Medical Association claiming junior doctors’ salaries have fallen 26% in real terms since 2008.

The report, which was presented to a meeting of North Mid’s board earlier this month, reveals 80% of junior doctors and 28% of consultants across the trust took part in industrial action, leading to 5,097 outpatient appointments and 70 elective procedures being reorganised.

It adds: “Clearly these numbers are significant and do not represent all affected, as many more patients are being displaced to create capacity for those directly affected.”

The preliminary cost of the industrial action has been put at £1.09m, most of which is down to arranging cover for striking staff. It takes the trust’s current in-year deficit to £2.8m.

A further strike by junior doctors took place between 11th and 15th August, and consultants are set to stage a fresh walkout on 24th and 25th August. The report states that plans are being drawn up “to ensure safety is maintained during the pressured summer holiday period”.

The latest figures produced by the trust reveal the percentage of patients waiting under 18 weeks to be treated – described as the ‘referral to treatment’ time – was 70.9% in June, which is below the 92% target.

There were 200 patients waiting longer than 52 weeks, the report adds. Although the trust says this is ahead of plan, it expects the number to rise due to the impact of industrial action.

The figures for June also show 68.7% of accident and emergency (A&E) patients were being seen, treated and either admitted or discharged within the health service’s four-hour waiting time target. This is well below the 95% NHS standard but represents the trust’s second-best performance in twelve months.

Performance against a key cancer target declined during May, when only 40.6% of patients started a first treatment for cancer within two months (62 days) of an urgent GP referral – far below the national target of 85%. In April, the figure was 48.4%. Despite the decline, the trust says projected performance in June and July is more positive.

The report acknowledges that industrial action is “understandably taking a toll” on patients and staff who have to “deliver the difficult news”.

It adds: “We are proactively providing support to our staff through our wellbeing team and working to rebook patients as quickly as possible.

“More broadly, we are mindful of the other professions that are carrying out industrial action that are affecting our staff, from teachers to train operators. The cumulative impact of these adds an additional layer of strain and we are being flexible with staff where possible, to limit their impact.”

North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust has been approached for comment.

Update (18th August):

A North Mid spokesperson said: “With any instance of industrial action, North Mid puts robust plans in place to help mitigate the impact on our services. This includes ensuring safe levels of staffing coverage across the trust from all professions, informing patients ahead of time if there are any changes to their appointments or procedures and clear processes in place to escalate any emerging issues. We also provide for regular support and briefing for all staff providing services during and after the days of industrial action.

“We are in no doubt of the impact industrial action is having on our patients, particularly those who have to wait longer for treatment. We appreciate the public’s understanding and co-operation during this challenging period and we would like to apologise for having to make changes at short notice. We would also like to acknowledge and thank our staff who have worked hard to prepare and to maintain critical services during this time. ”

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