Children are paying a heavy price for the failure to end NHS strikes

Editorial: This week – the busiest of the year for the health service – junior doctors embark on their latest walkout, the longest in the profession’s history. But, as revealed today by this newspaper, the hidden victims are thousands of children languishing in pain on ever-growing waiting lists. Their cries must be heard

Junior doctors are set to stage a six-day walkout from 3 January after rejecting a 12 per cent pay offer in December (PA)

The thought of a child in pain is something nobody wants to countenance, but that is the image that comes to mind over our revelations today that hundreds of paediatric treatments and surgeries – including lifesaving operations and cancer treatments – have had to be cancelled each day that NHS strike action has taken place.

More than 20,000 such surgeries and treatments were shelved in the last year, according to figures obtained by The Independent, which cover around a third of NHS hospital trusts – that figure increases substantially if the situation is mirrored across the whole of England. It offers a clear picture of the cost to patients of the strike action, while hundreds of thousands of children languish on waiting lists for treatment.

Junior doctors are set to embark on the longest national strike in NHS history when they walk out on Wednesday for six days. That will only increase waiting times, while the NHS Confederation says the industrial action will leave hospitals, GP surgeries and other services “skating on very thin ice” and in a “highly vulnerable position” given that it coincides with what is traditionally the busiest week of the year for the health service.

The doctors know, better than most, that strike action means the relief of pain and worry being postponed for patients and their families. There are merits in their argument about their working conditions. Their pay has fallen badly behind inflation, though that has been a widespread phenomenon in recent years. They are right to highlight the pressures they are subject to that have caused stress and anxiety. Morale is low. They are being pushed into strike action, on a democratic ballot, because they feel they have no alternative, even if they always want the best for their patients.

However, the demand from the British Medical Association (BMA), which represents junior doctors, for 35 per cent extra in pay to make up for below-inflation pay rises since 2008, will seem almost other-worldly to many. It no doubt reflects an erosion in purchasing power on their current salaries, but few will seriously expect a settlement at that level.

The BMA has called on the government to put forward a settlement its members can accept, with talks having broken down last month after an offer was made that the BMA said was too low. The government needs to get round the table and work for a breakthrough.

It takes time and much effort to train doctors. It is also worth asking whether it makes sense for the taxpayer to fund elements of medical training, only to see the result of that investment – an enthusiastic and dedicated junior physician – spend a few years working here before deciding to head abroad or leave the profession because of the conditions they face.

As with nursing and social care, retention and motivation are real problems in this sector of the NHS. The health service is under immense strain, across multiple areas, and it is clear that more investment is required. But, while the public have admiration and sympathy for health professionals across the country, their patience is not unlimited.

Many families will know of someone who has already been waiting weeks or months for treatment even before the latest strike action. Compromise is needed, and both sides must realise that and scale back the threat to patient health, without delay.