Doctors' strike 'to leave elderly patients stuck in hospital' as super-flu rages through NHS

A five-day walkout, which begins on Wednesday and coincides with the “worst flu outbreak” ever recorded in the UK, will leave the health service up against it to safely discharge the elderly and frail ahead of Christmas, the document appears to suggest.

Mike Prentice, NHS national director for emergency planning, wrote in a memo seen by the Telegraph that the resident doctors' strike will need medics to focus on reducing bed occupancy.

Prentice added: "These strikes will be followed by two full working days before Christmas (and the bank holidays that follow) where huge effort will be needed to safely discharge patients and get people home in time for Christmas”.

The memo confirms fear that those admitted to hospital, who are disproportionately elderly, will struggle to be discharged.

Read more: Five-day doctors’ strike to go ahead as ‘superflu’ cases surge across NHS

Read more: Half of NHS hospitals battling 'worst-ever flu outbreak' as 'super-flu' rips through UK

His warning, seen by The Telegraph, urged hospitals to focus on reducing bed occupancy “ahead of, during and after the industrial action, as we go into the peak holiday period”.

Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, told The Telegraph: “With services already under extreme pressure, prolonged strike action risks hitting vulnerable patients the hardest.

“Older people are already the most likely to be admitted to hospital with flu, and many will now face the very real prospect of being stuck in hospital over Christmas, and potentially well beyond it, because there simply won’t be enough staff to safely discharge them.”

She added: “Being trapped in a hospital bed over the festive period will be distressing and dangerous. Every extra day in hospital increases the risk of infection, loss of mobility, and further decline ... in beds urgently needed by acutely unwell patients.”

The stark warning came after Health Secretary Wes Streeting told LBC that he doesn't trust resident doctors' union bosses and has slammed them for pressing ahead with their upcoming strike action, claiming their members are all about "take take take".

Mr Streeting was responding after the British Medical Association voted to press on with the strike despite the Department of Health and Social Care offering an improved offer in order to try and avert the industrial action.

Upon hearing this decision, the health secretary gave a damming indictment of The British Medical Association, claiming it "doesn't understand the impact" its upcoming strikes will have on patients.

He added that union leaders "wanted to have their cake and eat it" when negotiating with the government over jobs and pay.

Speaking to LBC's Tom Swarbrick, Mr Streeting said: "I'm afraid we have got to a point where they [the BMA] don't understand the pressures on other parts of the NHS workforce - many of whom won't earn as much as the lowest paid doctor. I don't think they understand what they are asking of their consultant colleagues who will be covering them.

"You could be forgiven, listening to some BMA leaders for thinking these strikes are consequence-free and that they are about giving me and the government a good kicking.

"Tests, scans and operations will be delayed - consultant leave will be cancelled - strikes affect everyone.

"They could have at least postponed them until January. They wouldn't even do that."

Last week the union put an offer from the Government to its members, saying the new deal aims to end the "jobs crisis for doctors in England".

The offer includes a fast expansion of specialist training posts as well as covering out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees, but does not include extra pay.

But the BMA says this offer fails to address the issue and does nothing to stop the exodus of medics from the UK.

Jack Fletcher, chair of the British Medical Association’s UK resident doctors committee, told LBC: "This offer will not lead to more doctors in our NHS. It makes a start, but the proposed increase of specialty training posts over the next three years, from the 1,000 extra announced in the 10-year health plan to 4,000, simply repurposes 'locally employed doctors', rather than increasing capacity.

"It will not mean more doctors on the shop floor of our A&E departments – it’s just shuffling the deck chairs on a sinking ship."

Ahead of the strikes, health bosses have ordered hospitals to try and maintain at least 95 per cent of pre-planned work.

However, they have conceded that this goal may be more challenging due to winter pressures in the NHS.

Last week the pressure on the NHS was exposed as official data revealed that flu cases in hospitals are at a record level for this time of year.

NHS England aid hospitals were facing the "worst case scenario" after flu cases jumped by more than 55 per cent in a week.

Resident doctors make up just under half of the medical workforce in England.

New analysis released today shows that half of NHS hospitals are currently battling the “worst flu outbreak” ever recorded in the UK.

Seventy of the 141 NHS trusts are facing their worst-ever flu numbers for this time of year.

Mr Streeting said the NHS "would do its best to get through this period", but admitted it would be "extremely challenging".

He had criticised the BMA for the length of time to respond to the offer, saying that it had offered to extend the union's strike mandate which would have enabled the walkout to be rescheduled to January, should the offer not be accepted by members.

"They said pay was an issue. They got a 28.9 per cent pay rise. They said jobs was an issue, we brought forward this emergency package. I think when you strip this back all the way I think the BMA are really asking for is another 26 per cent pay rise on top of that," he added.

"There is a huge gap between what they expect of this government and what this government can afford and until that gap closes. We are not going to be in a happy position."