NHS doctors have come under fire for being allowed to engage in private work during strike days, causing public patients to miss out on much-needed care. Hospital consultants, who earn an average income of £128,000, can profit from the disruption caused by their upcoming two-day walkout. The British Medical Association (BMA) has defended the decision, stating that its members are free to earn extra money through private surgeries and consultations during the strike. However, patient groups have criticized the BMA’s stance as “unconscionable.”
Health leaders have expressed concerns about the impact of both consultant and junior doctor strikes, referring to it as a “double whammy” that will disrupt the care of many patients. The combined action is expected to result in the cancellation of over 300,000 appointments, exacerbating the already lengthy waiting lists in the NHS, which currently exceed 7.4 million.
Critics, including Tory MP Paul Bristow, argue that allowing consultants to profit from private work during a strike is unfair to patients who are awaiting life-changing surgeries. Fellow Conservative MP Ben Bradley has called the BMA’s decision “rank hypocrisy” and urged them to prioritize patient care and call off the strikes.
Official figures reveal that consultants already perform over 800,000 private procedures annually, taking advantage of the increasing demand for private healthcare driven by the lengthy NHS waiting lists. The fees charged by consultants for procedures range from £2,500 for hip and knee replacements or cataract surgery to £250 for initial consultations and £150 for follow-up checks. Some consultants charge even higher fees. Patients are required to cover the consultants’ fees, as well as additional charges imposed by the hospitals where the procedures are conducted.
The Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), which collects data on private healthcare, reported that 12,200 consultants conducted private procedures in the past year. In 2022 alone, there were 820,000 private in-patient and day-case admissions, the highest number recorded since data collection began.
Consultants announced their strike after 86% of them voted in favor of it in a ballot, with a turnout of 71%. During the strike, they will provide emergency care but cancel most routine treatments, offering only a limited “Christmas Day” service. This decision has been met with criticism from Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, an organization advocating for the elderly, who called it “unconscionable” for consultants to use the strike as an opportunity to increase their private practice.
The BMA explained that consultants who are not contracted to work for the NHS on strike days have the option to either support the strike or, if they have a private practice or patients elsewhere, they can engage in private work during the strike. However, the BMA recommends that consultants support the industrial action and remain available to the NHS in case the strike is called off due to a credible offer from the government.
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