Hospitals will struggle next week as doctors’ strikes hit during another heatwave and England’s first World Cup game, NHS chiefs have warned.
Visits to A&E increase during major football matches as more people injure themselves drunk, and during hot weather because high temperatures put strain on the heart. NHS England said it is bracing for the “triple whammy” as resident doctors in the British Medical Association go on strike again from Monday until Friday morning.
“NHS warns of ‘triple whammy’ as resident doctors strike, heatwave and World Cup coincide.”
It will be the 16th walkout by the trainee medics as they continue to demand more cash from the Government. It is the first strike endured by the new Health Secretary, James Murray, but sources said he is “no pushover” and will not bow to BMA demands.
Mr Murray said: “The NHS is bracing itself for another round of needless strike action that neither the public nor the majority of resident doctors support. This time it coincides with the added pressures of an expected heatwave and the World Cup. It is very disappointing the BMA has chosen to press ahead.”
Strikes have so far totalled 65 days since 2023 and cost the health service £3bn. NHS medical director Professor Frankie Swords said: “With temperatures set to rise again this week and the World Cup kicking off, it will be a triple whammy of pressure. Staff will pull together as they always do to keep the show on the road.”
It comes after NHS figures this week showed casualty departments had their busiest ever month in May and nearly 3,000 people per day are being treated in corridors and overflow areas.