Strikes likely to cause NHS disruption 'unlike anything we’ve seen before' this week

Patients in Greater Manchester are being warned this week's NHS strikes are “likely to cause disruption to patient care unlike anything we’ve seen before”.

The stark warning comes as junior doctors and consultants take industrial action this week, which will cause unprecedented disruption for patients, amid a historic joint walkout. Planned care is likely to come to a halt with thousands of appointments cancelled, as the row with the Government over pay and working conditions continues.

Consultants in England will walk out for 48 hours from Tuesday, and will be joined by their junior colleagues on Wednesday. Junior doctors will then continue their strike on Thursday and Friday.

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Both consultants and junior doctors will then strike together on October 2, 3 and 4. Those dates coincide with the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester.

Staff are expected to work on a “Christmas Day cover” basis for both spells of industrial action, meaning emergency care will continue to be provided. However, patients are being warned to expect the worst.

Deputy chief executive of NHS Providers Saffron Cordery has warned the are strikes “likely to cause disruption to patient care unlike anything we’ve seen before”. She also said they cannot become a new normal, hitting out at the lack of “meaningful dialogue” between the Government and medics.

Ms Cordery added: “We need this dispute to be resolved, and fast, but there is a deep and growing frustration among trust leaders at the sheer lack of inaction to even start to break this deadlock. We cannot allow strikes to become