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Health

Senior doctors in Wales vote to strike over pay

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  • A 48 hour strike will take place from Tuesday 16 April

CONSULTANTS and SAS (specialist, associate specialist, and speciality) doctors have voted to strike as part of a dispute with the Welsh Government over their pay, which has been cut by almost a third in real terms since 2008/9.

The results of the ballots, which ended at midday today (Monday 4 March), for doctors working in both branches of practice in Wales saw 86% of consultant voters and 94% SAS doctor voters cast their ballots in favour of industrial action.

A significant 70% of consultants and 58% SAS doctors eligible to vote in Wales had responded to a call to take part in industrial action which will take place from Tuesday 16 April.

Consultant and SAS doctors make up over half (54%) of the hospital-based medical workforce combined, with 3,137 Consultants and 1,088 SAS doctors working in hospitals across Wales. *

The BMA is now calling on all consultants and SAS doctors in Wales to participate in a 48 hour strike, except for those providing ‘Christmas day’ cover.

This level of cover will ensure doctors can provide emergency care, but all elective or non-emergency work will be postponed during this period.

BMA Cymru Wales is working with NHS employers on precise staffing levels that are appropriate and will provide guidance to members in advance of any strike days.   

Dr Stephen Kelly, chair of the BMA’s consultants committee in Wales, said: 

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision. No doctor wants to strike, but the conditions now faced in the workplace caused by the extreme pressures on the service and unsafe staffing levels have left doctors with no choice.   

“Fewer doctors now want to develop their careers in Wales with some health boards reporting vacancy rates of over third for senior doctor posts.  

“Colleagues are now choosing to retire early, reduce their hours or move out of Wales where pay is competitive, and wards better staffed. 

“Unless doctors are better valued for the work they do, more and more doctors will leave an NHS already under severe pressure in Wales”. 

Dr Julie Jones, Deputy chair of the BMA’s SAS doctors committee in Wales added: “Doctors are burning out from covering significant gaps in the workforce and patient safety is at risk. With this result our members have chosen to take a stand for the profession and for patients.

“People are waiting for treatment for longer than ever before, resulting in poorer outcomes and more time in the hospital and we all deserve better.

“This result represents a profession that is not ready to give up on the NHS and its patients in Wales”.

The decision to ballot members was taken after the BMA rejected the Welsh Government’s first and final pay offer for the 2023/24 financial year for those working in secondary care.

For consultants and SAS doctors on closed contracts the offer was 5%; SAS doctors on more recent contracts received as little as 2.5%. This final offer left BMA Cymru Wales with no choice but to enter a trade dispute and ballot for strike action.  

Over the last 15 years, consultants and SAS doctors in Wales have experienced a pay cut of almost a third since 2008/9. They received another sub-inflationary pay offer from the Welsh Government for 2023/24 which is below the recommendation made by the DDRB and is the worst offer in the UK. 

The BMA is calling on the Welsh Government to provide sufficient funding to enable discussions around an uplift in senior doctor pay that will retain existing doctors and ensure that we are able to recruit more.

Consultant and SAS doctor strike action will take place from 7am, Tuesday 16 April to 7am, Thursday 18 April.

Junior doctors in Wales will begin their third round of strike action a 96-hour full walkout from 7am Monday 25 March in pursuit of a fairer deal for their service.

Commenting on consultants and specialist, associate specialist and speciality (SAS) doctors in Wales voting for two days of strike action in April, Russell George MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister said:

“Yet more strikes, this time from senior doctors in Labour-run Wales, will place further pressure on the longest waiting lists in the UK.

“While Conservatives in England put forward substantially higher pay offers for speciality and junior doctors, Labour has consistently put the worst offer in the UK on the table.

“The Welsh Conservatives would spend the full Barnett uplift received for health on health and would at least match the independent recommendation, which Labour has failed to meet, instead of following Labour and Plaid’s plans to create 36 more politicians.”

Health

More than 400,000 visit pharmacies for common health issues

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THE WELSH public is being encouraged to visit local pharmacies for free advice and treatment for a wide range of illnesses. New figures reveal that over 400,000 people used the Common Ailments Service in the past year alone.

Pharmacies offer convenient access to healthcare professionals, often without the need for an appointment, freeing up GP slots for those with more complex or urgent medical needs.

Common ailments service

Available in 99% of pharmacies across Wales, the service provides free, confidential advice and treatments for 28 common illnesses, such as sore throats and urinary tract infections. Since its launch in 2013, it has supported nearly 1.25 million people.

Around 220 pharmacies now offer the Pharmacist Independent Prescribing Service, allowing pharmacists to treat conditions such as ear, skin, and respiratory infections, sinusitis, and migraines.

A survey found that 95% of patients who used the service would have otherwise sought help from a GP or other healthcare provider.

Prescribing services expanding

Each year, up to 100 community pharmacists in Wales undertake prescribing training. From 2026, all newly qualified pharmacists will be registered prescribers, enhancing the range of services available at local pharmacies.

Primary care reforms

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles, highlighted ongoing reforms to deliver more care closer to home during a statement to the Senedd.

Key statistics include:

  • GPs handle around 100,000 calls and 68,000 appointments daily.
  • Optometrists conduct over 2,000 consultations each month.
  • More than 420,000 new dental patients have been treated since April 2022.
  • District nurses see approximately 31,000 patients each month, equating to 1% of Wales’ population.

Comments from key figures

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said:
“We know there is very high demand for GP services in Wales, with around 1.6 million people contacting their practice each month.

“For most common health concerns, your local pharmacy is the best option, providing free and easy access to treatment.

“We are working with the NHS to provide more care in the community, closer to people’s homes, and to make it easier for people to choose the right service for their health needs.”

Gwawr Davies-Jones, a pharmacist at High Street Pharmacy in Barry, added:
“Since the new pharmacy contract was implemented in 2022, our role has changed considerably. Instead of being in the dispensary, we are now in the consultation room for most of the day, offering clinical services.

“On average, we carry out more than 20 consultations daily, from providing contraception to emergency medicine supplies.

“The demand for advice on common conditions is great, giving pharmacists an opportunity to share advice and treatment, including prescribing antibiotics and other prescription-only medicines without the need to see a GP. This helps free up much-needed appointments for more complex conditions.

“We feel we offer an invaluable service to our community. The services we provide alleviate pressures on the NHS, giving pharmacists great satisfaction knowing they are making a difference.”

Supporting NHS pressures

Pharmacies in Wales offer treatment for 28 common illnesses under the Common Ailments Service. Many also provide emergency contraception, annual flu vaccinations, and regular contraception services.

The Welsh Government has significantly supported this service expansion, increasing its investment by 24% since 2016-17, with an additional £9.9 million allocated this year.

Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Miles visited High Street Pharmacy in Barry today to meet pharmacist Gwawr Davies-Jones. 

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Health

Lymphoedema patients to benefit from online mental health support

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NHS Wales’ digital wellbeing service has teamed up with a pioneering clinic to help patients manage the mental health impacts of Lymphoedema and Lipalgia Syndrome.

The Lymphoedema Wales Clinical Network (LWCN) established a psychological support service – the only one of its kind in the UK – after patients spoke of the emotional challenges of living with these conditions.

Patients revealed how their physical symptoms were often accompanied by depression, anxiety and worries about appearance.

Support offered by the service’s two psychologists is now being complemented by direct referrals to SilverCloud® Wales, a suite of online, self-help courses based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

Dr Jayne Williams, National Lymphoedema Consultant Psychologist for LWCN said: “This is an exciting time for us.

“We’re looking at different ways for people to access psychological therapies – SilverCloud being one of them. The aim is to provide timely, preventative support before people get to crisis point.

“As SilverCloud is online, it has the capacity to reach many more people than we could see face-to-face, and its flexibility means that it fits around busy work and family lives.

“Being able to offer something that patients can do in their own way, at their own pace is brilliant.”

NHS Wales online CBT project manager Fionnuala Clayton said the new referral pathway was inspired in part by feedback from a ‘Living Well with Lymphoedema’ event hosted by LWCN, where patients were asked what they would like from its emerging psychology service.

“Patients wanted to feel as though they were not alone and that they still had a healthy and happy life despite their condition,” said Fionnuala. “They wanted easy access to support for building resilience alongside help to help themselves.

“Coming away from the event, we knew a referral pathway would support many patients across Wales.”

Lipalgia Syndrome – also known as Lipoedema – is an abnormal build-up of adipose fatty tissue, usually in the lower half of the body, which more commonly affects women.

Lymphoedema is another incurable, long-term condition which develops due to a damaged or poorly-functioning lymphatic system. Damage can occur as a result of many factors including obesity, surgery, cancer treatment, infection or injury.

People who are sedentary are particularly vulnerable as the lymphatic system relies on movement to remain healthy and move the lymph fluid around the body. Symptoms include swollen and painful heavy limbs and a higher risk of skin infections and wounds.

Said Dr Williams: “These are conditions that people have to learn to live alongside forever, which can be incredibly difficult.

“They have to cope with swelling and pain, they may have to wear compression bandages or garments, carry out daily skin care routines and do lots of movement.

“We see lots of people with very low mood. There’s also a lot of anxiety around body image and intimacy.

“Feeling people are judging you, and perhaps not being able to find clothes or shoes that fit you, means your whole identity and your social confidence can be affected. You can feel more isolated and withdrawn.”

Around 25,000 people across Wales use LWCN services.

Local health board lymphoedema services can refer people to the psychology service within the National Lymphoedema Team, which is hosted by Swansea Bay University Health Board.

Dr Williams said several patients had been referred to SilverCloud’s Space for Positive Body Image programme after attending a body image workshop.

Other courses on offer include support for anxiety, depression and stress.

Anyone in Wales aged 16 or over can self-refer to SilverCloud, without seeing a GP and from the comfort of their own home.

Fionnuala Clayton added: “We’re delighted to onboard the Lymphoedema Wales Clinical Network. This has been a collaborative effort between services, working together to identify how best support patients living with Lipalgia Syndrome and Lymphoedema.”

For further information and support on Lymphoedema and Lipalgia Syndrome, visit https://lwcn.nhs.wales/

To self-refer to SilverCloud Wales, visit https://nhswales.silvercloudhealth.com/signup/

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Health

Tufnell talks tough on health care following ‘in-depth survey’

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TOP Hywel Dda health board officials are turning a blind eye to its escalating health care failings despite pocketing six-figure salaries.

So says Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell who is calling for an urgent meeting with Hywel Dda’s chief executive, Phil Kloer.

“The Hywel Dda Health Board needs to recognise that there’s a problem with health care outcomes and care delivery, but what is it going to take for them to recognise that?” Henry Tufnell commented this week.

His comments followed an in-depth survey of 1,000 people living in Pembrokeshire which confirmed that a staggering 62% have to wait more than a week for a GP appointment.  43% have cited a lack of available appointments as their biggest challenge, while no fewer than 87% claim healthcare services have worsened in recent years.

“But it’s the real stories that show the scale of the crisis,” continued Henry Tufnell.

“I know of a cancer diagnosis that has been delayed by over a year, while ambulance waiting times can be more than 13 hours, even for urgent cases.  Critical care needs are going unmet and this is forcing patients to seek private treatment.”

Tufnell has now submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Hywel Dda University Health Board demanding greater transparency on waiting times, service provision and a plan strategy to fix the crisis.

“Despite all the latest evidence, in addition to everything we gathered during the election campaign, there’s still no acceptance by the Board that there’s a problem,” he said.

“But it’s their responsibility to deliver health care within this county, and they’re failing.  The management is failing us here in Pembrokeshire and there’s a complete lack of transparency and accountability.  All these people sitting in management roles are being paid huge amounts of money, some bringing in six figure salaries.  But they’re failing.”

Mr Tufnell has now requested an urgent meeting with Hywel Dda chief executive Phil Kloer which is expected to take place on February 14.

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