The boss of Harrogate District Hospital says improving its record in delivering timely cancer treatment is being made more difficult due to doctors going on strike.
Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust, made the comments in papers published ahead of the organisation’s board meeting in Harrogate yesterday.
Mr Coulter admitted the hospital was facing challenges in delivering the “standard that we would want to” but added that several waves of industrial action have taken their toll.
Across England and Wales more than one million treatments and appointments have been cancelled due to the strikes with waits for cancer treatment being particularly affected.
NHS England says a patient should start treatment within 31 days of an urgent cancer diagnosis and referral by a GP.
Statistics published by the hospital reveal 9 in 10 patients are receiving treatment within this target.
However, after 62 days since a referral, only 7 in 10 patients have begun treatment.
Mr Coulter added:
“It is fair to say that this is the area that has been most significantly impacted upon by the industrial action, with clinics cancelled, but if we assume that there will be no further service interruptions due to strikes, then we have plans in place to deliver the overall Faster Diagnosis Standard expected by the end of the year.”
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Both consultants and junior doctors took part in industrial action at the hospital in the first week of October.
The BBC reported this week that a fresh pay offer has been made to NHS consultants which could end future strike action.
The government is also in negotiation with junior doctors although a deal has not yet been agreed.
Mr Coulter added:
Strikes cost Harrogate hospital £1.5m this year“We need to always remember the impact that this industrial action is having and the cost to patients who have services disrupted and delayed, the actual financial cost of cover, and the more significant opportunity cost, as management time is necessarily taken up with planning and managing these periods of strike action safely. We know in particular that this has had an impact on our cancer pathways as clinics have been cancelled.
“And at a time when the NHS is being criticised in some quarters for poor productivity, we know that staff morale and goodwill – so important in the delivery of safe, productive services – is not helped by this ongoing dispute.”
Industrial action has cost the trust which runs Harrogate District Hospital £1.5 million in 2023.
The hospital has been hit by numerous strikes in the last 12 months, with consultants and junior doctors staging walkouts in disputes over pay.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the figure was an “unavoidable cost” as a result of the strikes.
The move comes as NHS England has told hospital trusts to reduce targets for routine care in order to pay for the industrial action.
National health officials have estimated that the 40 days worth of strike action has cost NHS trusts £1 billion.
In a letter signed by Julian Kelly, the chief financial officer for NHS England, and Steve Powis, the national medical director for NHS England, local trusts were told that elective surgery targets would be scaled back.
It said:
“For the remainder of the financial year our agreed priorities are to achieve financial balance, protect patient safety and prioritise emergency performance and capacity, while protecting urgent care, high priority elective and cancer care.”
Currently, Harrogate hospital has 822 people waiting more than 65 weeks for surgery. No patients are waiting longer than 78 weeks.
However, a spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Trust, told the Stray Ferret that it does not expect NHS England’s target adjustment to affect its plans to tackle waiting lists.
They said:
“NHS England’s decision to reduce the elective activity target for 2023/24 is not expected to have a significant impact at HDFT.
“At the start of 2023, we had 2,918 patients awaiting surgical treatment who would have waited 65 weeks or longer by the end of March 2024. This number had reduced to 822 patients by November 2023 and we are currently on track to ensure no patient will be waiting beyond 65 weeks by the end of March 2024.
“We will continue to focus on cancer pathways to ensure we are able to get to a diagnosis within 28 days from referral and provide treatment within 62 days.
“HDFT is committed to providing the best possible healthcare for our patients and to ensure they can be seen at the earliest opportunity.”
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Harrogate hospital postpones 41 operations due to strikes
Harrogate District Hospital postponed 41 operations as a result of last week’s consultants and junior doctors strikes.
Members of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association and British Medical Association walked out from 7am on Monday, October 2, until 7am on Thursday, October 5.
Both junior doctors and consultants held the industrial action in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed 41 outpatient appointments were cancelled across a range of hospital services due to the walkout last week.
A spokesperson for the trust added:
“These have been re-arranged as a matter of priority. We are in discussions with six patients to confirm new dates for their operations.”
The trust confirmed that internal and bank staff were used to cover the strikes.
Bank staff are temporary workers who agree to work flexible shifts with a hospital trust. Some trusts keep a record of their own bank staff to call upon for shifts.
However, a trust spokesperson added that a total figure for the cost of staffing will not be available until the end of the month.
It comes as Harrogate hospital has been hit by numerous strike action this past year.
Between April 1 and August 31, junior doctors and consultants have staged multiple walkouts with some lasting as long as 48 hours.
The Stray Ferret reported last month that the trust spent £923,000 on staff cover for industrial action in the same time period.
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Picket line in Harrogate as trains and hospital hit by strikes
A picket line was in operation outside Harrogate railway station today as the district was hit by another day of strikes to key services.
Members of train drivers’ union Aslef picketed on Station Parade from 8am to noon in what was their 14th wave of industrial action since June last year.
No trains operated on the Harrogate and Knaresborough line and rail operator Northern has warned of further disruption tomorrow and Friday. Passengers are advised to check before they travel as there may be some short notice cancellations.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said there had been no further talks with the government or rail firms since the union rejected a “risible” pay offer in April.
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said:
“We hope to see a resolution to this issue in the near future and an end to the disruption these strikes cause.”
A three-day strike by junior doctors and consultants at Harrogate District Hospital is due to end at 7am tomorrow.
The British Medical Association said the strike over pay had resulted in ‘Christmas Day’ cover, meaning emergency care had been staffed but only minimal cover had been provided elsewhere.
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Harrogate hospital cancelled 117 appointments due to consultants strike
Harrogate District Hospital was forced to cancel 117 appointments as a result of last week’s consultants strike.
Members of the British Medical Association walked out for 48 hours on July 20 in a dispute over pay.
Consultants carried out what was described as Christmas Day cover, which meant most routine and elective services were cancelled but full emergency cover remained in place.
At the time, Dr Vishal Sharma, chair of the BMA consultants committee, said consultants had been left with “no option” but to strike after years of pay cuts.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed 117 outpatient appointments were cancelled across a range of hospital services due to the walkout last week.
Among the areas affected included breast surgery, trauma, orthopaedics and general surgery. Neurology and gynaecology also saw cancellations.
A spokesperson for the trust said:
“Appointments were re-arranged as a matter of priority with many being re-arranged at the time of cancellation.”
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The hospital is set to be hit by further strike action next month.
Yesterday, junior doctors voted to walk out for four days in August amid an ongoing dispute with government over pay.
Members of the BMA will stage the industrial action from 7am on Friday, August 11, until 7am on Tuesday, August 15.
The organisation is calling for a 35% pay rise in order to restore pay to 2008 levels after below inflation increases.
Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said:
No trains in Harrogate and Knaresborough tomorrow as strikes hit services“It should never have got to the point where we needed to announce a fifth round of strike action.
“Our message today 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.”
No trains will operate through Harrogate and Knaresborough tomorrow as rail workers take strike action.
ASLEF, which represents train drivers, will walkout tomorrow in a dispute over pay and conditions.
It comes as members of the RMT Union are striking today, which has left limited services available.
Tomorrow’s industrial action means no Northern trains will operate on the Leeds to York line. The company has said services will return to normal on Sunday (June 4).
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said:
“We apologise, once again, for the disruption this action by ASELF and the RMT will cause to our customers.
“This latest round of industrial action looks set to hamper people’s opportunity to explore the region during the half-term holidays. It’s understandably very frustrating.
“We all want to see an end to this dispute and the uncertainty that on-going strike action causes to people’s confidence in the railway.”
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Harrogate district rail strikes to hit half-term holiday travel
Rail services across the Harrogate district look set to be hit by cancellations over the half-term holiday as trade union members go on strike over pay and conditions.
The strikes are set to effect services to Harrogate and Knaresborough between Leeds and York.
Industrial action by ASLEF and the RMT unions will hit the region’s train services on three days next week. ASLEF, which largely represents train drivers, will stage its action on Wednesday, May 31 and Saturday, June 3. Customers are advised to avoid travel on those days.
The RMT union, whose 20,000 members work as caterers, train managers and station staff, has announced its own action on Friday, June 2. On that day, customers are advised to check revised timetables before they travel as only a limited service will be in operation.
Train operator Northern said that early-morning and late-night services on Thursday, June 1 would also likely be affected, due to the impact that strikes have on fleet displacement.
In a press release about the national industrial action, ASLEF said:
“Most of the drivers have not had a pay increase at all since 2019 and, with inflation still well over 10% and the cost of living spiralling, this is not acceptable.”
Travellers are advised to check revised timetables before leaving home.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said:
“The government is once again not allowing the Rail Delivery Group to make an improved offer that we can consider. Therefore, we have to pursue our industrial campaign to win a negotiated settlement on jobs, pay and conditions.”
Northern’s new summer timetable came into effect at the weekend. While most services will run as normal, the train operator is urging people who make regular trips on the same trains to use the Check My Timetable feature on its website to see details specific to their local station.
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said:
“We apologise, once again, for the disruption this action by ASELF and the RMT will cause to our customers.
“This latest round of industrial action looks set to hamper people’s opportunity to explore the region during the half-term holidays. It’s understandably very frustrating.
“We all want to see an end to this dispute and the uncertainty that on-going strike action causes to people’s confidence in the railway.”
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.
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Bank holiday strike at Harrogate hospital: What you need to know
Nurses will take part in a third round of industrial action at Harrogate District Hospital this bank holiday weekend.
It’s taking place because members of the Royal College of Nursing union rejected the government’s latest pay offer of a below-inflation 5% rise plus a lump sum of at least £1,655.
The union says any pay rise should be above inflation, which is currently at around 10%.
The strike begins at 8pm tonight and ends at 11.59pm tomorrow.
Nurses argue low pay is leading to an exodus of NHS nurses who are either moving to work overseas or leaving the profession altogether and they say the situation is compromising patient safety.
Throughout winter and spring the government has maintained that the union’s wage demands are unaffordable and talks to avert the strikes have failed.
Greater impact on hospital services
Unlike the two previous RCN strikes at the hospital on Lancaster Park Road this year, the strike will involve nurses working in emergency departments, intensive care, cancer and other wards.
Health secretary Steve Barclay said the move would have a “deeply concerning” impact on patients.
However, the union has committed to providing care for the most urgent clinical situations as part of a legal obligation not to endanger life.
The strike will be shorter than previously planned
Mr Barclay called the strikes unlawful and the government successfully managed to shorten the strike in the High Court yesterday.
This was because the union had six months to take industrial action following a ballot of its members last year and the second day of the strike fell outside of the mandate.
The RCN’s general secretary Pat Cullen said after the ruling:
“The government have won their legal battle today. But what this has led to is they have lost nursing and they’ve lost the public.
“They’ve taken the most trusted profession through the courts, by the least trusted people.”
Mr Barclay said: “I firmly support the right to take industrial action within the law – but the government could not stand by and let plainly unlawful strike action go ahead.
“Both the NHS and my team tried to resolve this without resorting to legal action.”
Emergency services will continue
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT), which runs the hospital, says it has plans in place to “keep disruption to a minimum” on Sunday and Monday despite having fewer healthcare professionals available during the strike.
A HDFT spokesperson pledged that emergency services will continue to operate as normal.
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However, some appointments will be cancelled and rearranged. April’s four-day junior doctors’ strike by members of the British Medical Association led to almost 500 appointments not taking place.
A HDFT spokesperson said:
“During strike action, urgent and emergency treatment will be our priority. We will be working with our nursing staff to deliver safe services, while facilitating and respecting the right of those staff who wish to take legal industrial action.
“Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will be re-arranging any postponed appointments as a priority. We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
“Nobody should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strikes, and key services will continue to operate.”
More strikes are likely
The government’s decision to take the RCN to court in order to shorten the strike has not gone down well with the union.
Nurses will vote in a fresh ballot in May — if successful it could potentially lead to six more months of industrial action by nurses unless a pay deal is agreed.
The RCN’s Pat Cullen said yesterday:
Rail workers and teachers to strike in Harrogate district today“Nursing staff will be angered but not crushed by today’s interim order. It may even make them more determined to vote in next month’s ballot for a further six months of action. Nobody wants strikes until Christmas – we should be in the negotiating room, not the courtroom.”
Rail workers and teachers will be on strike in the Harrogate district today as part of the latest wave of industrial action.
More than 400,000 workers in various sectors took part in strikes yesterday in the biggest day of industrial action since unrest began last year.
They included the first of two planned teachers’ strikes by members of the National Education Union. Picket lines are expected to form outside schools in the district again today.
Today also sees RMT members at 14 train operators, including Northern, stage the first of four planned 24-hour strikes. The next one is due on Saturday.
Northern, whose services include those passing through Harrogate and Knaresborough, will run an amended strike timetable on the affected days, with a 12-hour operation on selected routes from 7am to 7pm.
Northern’s guide to services in the days ahead.
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, urged customers to check before they travel.
Ms Williams said:
“We’re expecting the skeleton services we can run to be very busy – so customers should plan ahead and check before they travel.
“Given the reduced timetable only runs until 7pm, I’m very keen to stress that people should check their ‘last train home’ on those dates – so that customers don’t find themselves stranded at the wrong end of the line as a result of this action by the RMT.”
Junior doctors staged a picket line on Wetherby Road near Harrogate District Hospital on Monday as part of a 72-hour strike that finished yesterday.
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