The chairman of NHS England has said he is “fearful” of the impact that junior doctor strikes may have on patients.

Junior doctors in England have returned to work after a 72-hour stoppage but are preparing for the longest strike in NHS history from January 3.

NHS England chairman Richard Meddings told the Sunday Times: “It just can’t continue like this. The pressure on the NHS in normal times is significant, and we’re doing a lot about that.

“But in winter it’s particularly acute, and that’s why I’m fearful.”

Industrial strike
Junior doctors are to strike again (Danny Lawson/PA)

He added: “Winter is really difficult and actually I am fearful of the consequences for patients.

“It will take almost three weeks out of the system. We’ve already lost over 40 days this year to strike action – and those weren’t in winter.

“Now they’re choosing this particular period, which I think is really unfortunate.”

It comes after NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor urged the Government and the British Medical Association (BMA) not to allow a stubborn sense of pride to get in the way of efforts to avert a potentially dangerous walkout.

He said the NHS had coped during the three-day strike which ended on Saturday morning but some patients, who would otherwise have gone home to spend Christmas with families, had not been able to be discharged.

January’s strike would be a different matter, he said, adding: “Six days of strike action following a bank holiday at a time of enormous pressure, there are real issues around patient safety and we don’t have in place national derogations, which we have had for other strikes.

“So yes, there will be an impact on the backlog, but I also have real concerns about patient safety over these days.”

The national derogations allow trusts to ask doctors to come back into work to ease pressure in certain areas.

Industrial action was announced after weeks of talks between unions and ministers broke down.

Junior doctors were offered a 3% rise on top of the average 8.8% increase they were given in the summer.

But the BMA said the money would have been split unevenly across different grades and would “still amount to pay cuts for many doctors”.

The Government said negotiations would not take place until the threat of strikes was lifted.

Over the last three days, the BMA has urged the Government to get back around the table with junior doctors with a “credible” offer, and called on Health Secretary Victoria Atkins to “stop trying to divide the profession”.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak branded the action “disappointing” and urged junior doctors to call off strikes.

The next strike will begin at 7am on January 3 and end at 7am on January 9.

It will be the longest strike in the 75-year history of the NHS.

Junior doctors in Wales are planning a 72-hour walkout from January 15 while doctors in training in Northern Ireland are being balloted for strike action.

Those in Scotland have already come to an agreement with the Holyrood government.