Junior doctors strike will have 'catastrophic impact' on NHS waiting lists, says NHS chief

Junior doctors are striking for four days in England, causing a 'catastrophic impact' on NHS waiting lists, says the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor. Up to 350,000 appointments and operations are likely to be cancelled as a result of industrial action. Taylor told Sky News consultants will be standing in for junior doctors, leaving outpatient care 'impossible'. Junior doctors are asking for a 35% pay rise after years of below-inflation increases. They have voted overwhelmingly – 98% on a 77% turnout in a ballot organised by the British Medical Association – to strike.

Junior doctors’ strike will have ‘catastrophic impact’ on waiting lists