NHS: Strikes

(asked on 6th September 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the total cost incurred by the NHS in England as a result of industrial action since 1 December 2022.


Answered by
Will Quince Portrait
Will Quince
This question was answered on 15th September 2023

NHS England have made a broad estimate of the costs of industrial action since April 2023. This estimate has a wide range, given that assumptions have had to be made on pay rates for staff used to provide cover. Direct costs of cover for striking staff are thought to be between £400 million and £600 million.

In addition, the disruption caused by strikes significantly impacts efforts to improve efficiency and productivity, but it is much more difficult to directly evidence the impact of strikes on delivery and provide a robust estimate of knock-on costs.

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