Responding to an update at an NHS England board meeting today (1 February) that strikes through to the end of January are expected to have a financial cost of over £1.5bn and an equivalent loss of elective activity, the chief executive of NHS Providers, Sir Julian Hartley said:

"The cost of strike action – both to patients and the NHS over the past 14 months – is ringing alarm bells for trust leaders.

"More than 1.4m appointments have been delayed with many thousands more patients having had their care and lives disrupted.

"Failure to resolve strikes has landed the NHS with an eye-watering bill, with costs expected to be around £3bn from delayed operations, scans and procedures and providing cover for striking staff.

"Trusts and their partners have already tightened their belts to find substantial efficiency savings totalling £4.8bn so far this year. Inflation is piling on extra pressure, creating a funding black hole of £1.7bn leaving little in reserve to invest in the extra capacity they need to deal with rising demand.

"Trust leaders were hopeful they would be able to put industrial action behind them but, with no news of any official negotiations, they are understandably feeling deeply frustrated and anxious.

"It's vital the government and the BMA resume talks as a matter of urgency. It's also vital that trusts are fully recompensed for the costs of ongoing industrial action, which continues to put an extra strain on NHS budgets while worsening the financial risk they face.

"We need to see a resolution to these strikes."