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31
Mar
Harrogate hospital warns of appointment cancellations as strikes loom
Harrogate hospital has warned that some appointments and elective surgery may be cancelled due to an upcoming resident doctors strike.
The British Medical Association announced that industrial action will be held from 7am on Tuesday, April 7, to 7am on Monday, April 13.
The union said the decision came after a dispute over a 3.5% pay deal, which it said was not enough given the rate of inflation.
Now, officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Harrogate and Ripon hospitals, have warned that the industrial action could see some appointments cancelled.
In a statement, the trust said patients will be contacted if their appointments are required to be changed.
It said:
Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and any postponed appointments will be re-arranged as a priority.
We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
The move comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the decision to announce a 15th walkout in three years was “reckless”.
However, Dr Jack Fletcher, from the BMA, said the deal offered from government would amount to further pay erosion.
He said:
We have been negotiating in good faith for weeks to try and end the simultaneous pay and jobs crises for resident doctors. Frustratingly we had been making good progress right up until the point, in the last two weeks, when the Government began to shift the goalposts.
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