NHS trusts accused of exaggerating staff shortages to weaken impact of strike | NHS

Hospitals are exaggerating how short-staffed they are to try to get junior doctors to break their strike and return to work, according to the British Medical Association.

The doctors’ union has accused NHS trusts of trying to “manipulate” the agreed process for how hospitals can ask striking medics to work in order to protect patients’ safety.

The union believes the NHS is using spurious requests by trusts for a “derogation”, or exemption, for certain services at the government’s behest in order to weaken the impact of the stoppage.

Thousands of junior doctors in England have…