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27
Jul 2023
Harrogate hospital cancelled 117 appointments due to consultants strike
Harrogate District Hospital was forced to cancel 117 appointments as a result of last week’s consultants strike.
Members of the British Medical Association walked out for 48 hours on July 20 in a dispute over pay.
Consultants carried out what was described as Christmas Day cover, which meant most routine and elective services were cancelled but full emergency cover remained in place.
At the time, Dr Vishal Sharma, chair of the BMA consultants committee, said consultants had been left with "no option" but to strike after years of pay cuts.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed 117 outpatient appointments were cancelled across a range of hospital services due to the walkout last week.
Among the areas affected included breast surgery, trauma, orthopaedics and general surgery. Neurology and gynaecology also saw cancellations.
A spokesperson for the trust said:
Read more:
- Ripon hospital to provide more health checks after £1m award
- Harrogate junior doctors: ‘We are prepared to continue to strike’
The hospital is set to be hit by further strike action next month.
Yesterday, junior doctors voted to walk out for four days in August amid an ongoing dispute with government over pay.
Members of the BMA will stage the industrial action from 7am on Friday, August 11, until 7am on Tuesday, August 15.
The organisation is calling for a 35% pay rise in order to restore pay to 2008 levels after below inflation increases.
Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said:
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