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Labour’s plans to ease NHS delays through evening and weekend appointments could be disrupted by health worker strikes.
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said he was confident plans to increase out-of-hours appointment availability would have an impact on the backlog of care “within a year”.
But party insiders acknowledged that as a first step a new Labour government would face the challenge of an ongoing dispute with the British Medical Association (BMA).
The BMA announced on Wednesday that junior doctors would stage a five-day strike ahead of the general election.
The Labour Party is not seeking to agree a grace period with trade unions if it comes to power. I I understand.
That could mean the party has to rely on the goodwill of staff to implement reforms it says will ease the backlog of people waiting up to 18 weeks for treatment.
Party sources said tackling the industrial action was a top priority and Ms Streeting said she would begin negotiations with the BMA immediately.
He rejected suggestions that plans to increase evening and weekend appointments might be unfeasible because health services are already under strain.
“We know it works because we’ve seen it work,” he said, citing similar schemes in London and Leeds.
He also suggested that Labour would boost staff morale and encourage staff to voluntarily work overtime.
“By helping staff feel they are working for an NHS that is improving, we will not only provide a better service for patients, but we will be much more likely to retain badly needed staff,” he told reporters.
“So we’re confident that we can launch this service quickly and successfully within a year.”
Both Mr Streeting and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer condemned the strikes.
Starmer said this could become an issue for the new Labour government to resolve, as no solution could be found between unions and the government.
“I think the government should have resolved this and negotiated a settlement, but instead they have effectively pushed this issue to the other side of the general election,” Starmer told reporters during a campaign visit to Worcester University.
He added: “I [the strike] “We should move on. But if we have the privilege of serving, it is our responsibility to resolve this issue and come to an agreement.”
Ms Streeting said she would meet with the BMA “immediately” if Labour won the election.
He said he had been “honest” that his demand for a 35 percent pay increase would not be met anytime soon.
“It’s going to take time to rebuild our economy and get fair wages back,” he said, “but we’re going to negotiate wages and, just as importantly, we’re going to negotiate working conditions.”
The BMA has announced that junior doctors will stage a full strike from 7am on Thursday, June 27, until 7am on July 2.
Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, said in a statement: “When we entered into mediation with the government this month we were under the impression that there would be a functioning government that would come up with proposals shortly. Clearly, so far there have been no proposals. Junior doctors are fed up and patience is running out.”
Health Minister Victoria Atkins accused the unions of announcing the strike during the election campaign of being a strategic move, arguing: “This shows that it’s purely political and not about patients or staff.”
She described the junior doctors’ decision as a “very cynical tactic”, adding: “The Conservative government took the tough decision to cut public spending to bring down inflation, but inflation is now returning to normal.”
“The Labour Party will be in the hands of the union coffers, which means more spending and higher taxes.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Patient safety remains our number one priority during the strike and the NHS will prepare for any strike action as normal.”
“We will continue to work closely with unions to discuss any concerns they have about patient safety and ensure safe staffing levels for critical care continue to be ensured.”