London NHS braces itself for further disruption as junior doctors and consultants continue strike action 

The NHS in London is bracing for further disruption this week, as a further strike by junior doctors and consultants gets under way from today until Thursday (5 Oct). This action is just the second time that junior doctors and consultants have taken action in tandem, following a similar walk-out last month.  

Alongside junior doctors and consultants, this week also sees dental trainees and consultants go on strike, as well as radiographers who will walk out for twenty-four hours from 8am on Tuesday.

Throughout the action by junior doctors and consultants, Christmas Day levels of staffing will be provided across London, meaning only emergency care will be covered. September’s action saw nearly 40,000 NHS appointments across London rescheduled, while action throughout 2023 has led to more than 266,000 rescheduled appointments in the capital.

The NHS in London is keen to stress that emergency care continues to be prioritised during the strikes and people should still call 999 in life-threatening emergencies and contact NHS 111 for other health concerns.  

NHS London medical director Dr Chris Streather said: “The latest action by junior doctors, consultants and others comes at a difficult time, when the NHS across London is already working through nearly 40,000 rescheduled appointments resulting from action just a few weeks ago.  

“As always, our focus throughout remains on patient safety and providing the best level of care we can in the circumstances. As such, emergency care will be prioritised, but we would urge Londoners to be mindful, and to phone NHS 111 for queries that are not urgent. Unless they’ve heard otherwise, people should attend booked appointments as per usual to minimise the chance of further rescheduled appointments”.  

“As we enter our tenth month of strike action, we are concerned about the impact on patients and are actively working with our hospitals to see how we can minimise the cancellations of time-critical procedures.” 

Notes to editors 

Strikes going ahead between 07:00 Monday 2 October and 07:00 Thursday 5 October.  

2 October – From 0700, junior doctors, consultants, dental trainees and consultants 

3 October – junior doctors, consultants, dental trainees and consultants. From 08:00, 24-hour strike by Society of Radiographers 

4 October – junior doctors, consultants, dental trainees and consultants 

5 October – Until 0700, junior doctors, consultants, dental trainees and consultants 

More info here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/information-for-the-public-on-industrial-action/