By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporter
Potential staffing issues fuelled by more waves of junior doctor and consultant strikes are causing concern among leaders at a Nottinghamshire trust.
A “palpable change” in mood has been felt among divisional leaders at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, a board of directors meeting heard on Thursday (August 3).
It’s as the trust – which runs King’s Mill, Mansfield Community and Newark Hospitals – prepares for a four-day doctor strike in “peak holiday period”.
The walkout will begin at 6.59am on Friday, August 11 and will end on August 15.
And trust bosses say issues filling rotas are causing leaders across various departments to raise concerns about potential safe staffing.
Dr David Selwyn is the trust’s medical director and deputy chief executive.
He said in the meeting: “We’ve got a robust, tested process involving our consultants and SAS doctors working on a rota we’ve devised to keep our patients safe and to ensure our emergency and inpatient pathways function.
“The initial meetings we’ve had with clinical chairs and division leads have raised concerns about an inability to staff these rotas.
“There’s a recognition amongst the substantive staff that this has gone on for a long period of time and is having a material impact on them.
“Another compounding factor is we’re no longer allowed to engage locum staff to cover this period following a court ruling.
“So there’s a material and palpable change in the confidence of our divisional teams.”
A recent High Court hearing ruled legislation that allowed employers to use agency workers to cover for staff who go on strike ‘unlawful’.
It’s the fifth time junior doctor members of the British Medical Association (BMA) have walked out this year following action in March, April, June and July.
Negotiations between the BMA and the Government are at a “stalemate” as the union calls for a 35 per cent pay settlement to make up for what it estimates as a 26.2 per cent real-term pay cut since 2008.
However, the Government has long said the suggestion is “unaffordable” and has instead offered a take-it-or-leave-it six per cent award.
This same award has been offered to consultants, who will walk out for a 48-hour period nine days after junior doctors in another row over pay and conditions.
This will start at 6.59am on August 24 and will coincide with the bank holiday weekend, with trust bosses saying they’re preparing for a “five-day shutdown”.
Dr Selwyn added: “I’ve expressed concerns about our ability to assure the adequate safety of our inpatients.
“I have no concerns whatsoever about our emergency front door or new patients, it’s the existing patients in our wards.
“Much of this is uncertainty. We’ve never had a five-day shutdown and we don’t know what the impact will be.”
Thousands of appointments were cancelled during each period of action and further cancellations are expected this month.
And strike action also cost the trust £600,000 in the first quarter of 2023, the meeting heard.
On the planned action, the BMA junior doctors’ committee co-chairs, Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, said: “It should never have got to the point where we needed to announce a fifth round of strike action.
“Our message remains the same: act like a responsible government, come to the table to negotiate with us in good faith, and with a credible offer these strikes need not go ahead at all.”
But last month the Government offered a six per cent pay award along with an additional consolidated £1,250 increase to junior doctors.
It also confirmed consultants will receive a six per cent rise, and said these were the “final offer” with “no more talks on pay”.
A Department for Health & Social Care spokesperson said: “This pay award is final and we urge the BMA to call an end to strikes.”
