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11
Apr 2023
Harrogate hospital: Patients will be safe during junior doctors' four-day strike
The chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has given assurances that patients will be safe during an upcoming junior doctors strike.
Doctors union the British Medical Association announced that its members will take part in industrial action from today until 7am on Saturday, April 15.
The strike will be longer than the 72-hour action by junior doctors that took place at Harrogate District Hospital last month and follows other strikes this year by nurses and ambulance workers.
Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of the hospital trust, told a meeting of the trust’s board members that the hospital has a “robust plan” in place to deal with any disruption should the junior doctors strike goes ahead as planned.
He said:
It’s estimated that more than 175,000 patient appointments and procedures had to be cancelled in England during the last junior doctors strike.
The BMA is asking for a pay-rise of 35%, which it says will reverse 15 years of real-term cuts. However, the government says this demand is unaffordable.
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The trust says outpatients appointments and planned activity may be affected at Harrogate hospital but patients will be contacted if appointments need to be rearranged.
It has asked people who require medical assistance and are considering visiting A&E to contact 111 first unless it’s life-threatening or a severe injury.
Why are the junior doctors striking?
Junior doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training and they make up nearly half of the medical workforce in England.
The British Medical Association says while workload and waiting lists are at record highs, junior doctors’ pay has effectively been cut by more than a quarter since 2008.
A BMA spokesperson said:
A NHS spokesperson said:
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