Strikes making it difficult to tackle backlog of appointments, says NHS chief

NHS England’s deputy chief nurse Charlotte McArdle said the weekend’s industrial action had had a ‘significant impact’ for patients and staff.

Strikes are making it harder to tackle the backlog of operations (PA) (PA Wire)

NHS leaders have warned that strike action is making it “more difficult” for the health service to tackle the backlog of care.

The comments were made as NHS England said there were 7,600 cancellations in acute care as a result of the 28-hour strike by members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

The numbers are lower than previous strikes due to the planned action taking place on Sunday into the early May Bank Holiday Monday, when traditionally fewer operations would have been scheduled compared to weekdays.