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11
Nov
Harrogate hospital appointments could be cancelled as strike looms
Appointments and planned surgery could be cancelled at Harrogate District Hospital as resident doctors begin a five-day strike.
The British Medical Association confirmed that resident doctors — formerly known as junior doctors — will walk out on Friday, November 14, until Wednesday, November 19.
The union announced industrial action after talks with government over pay, jobs and conditions broke down.
It is the second time that resident doctors have walked out this year after holding a five-day strike in July.
In a statement, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the strike will likely affect the trust, which could lead to appointments being cancelled.
It said:
This is likely to impact the trust, with some appointments and elective surgery needing to be cancelled.
We understand this may cause our patients and their families to worry about how services will be delivered during this period. The safety of our patients is our primary concern and we have developed plans for the proposed action and its impact on our services, patients and staff. We are working hard to prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.
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.
Trust officials added that people with life-threatening or severe illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and come forward as normal regardless of strike action.
13 rounds of strikes
Resident doctors have taken part in 13 rounds of strike action since 2023.
The last walkout in July saw 150 appointments rescheduled at Harrogate District Hospital. No operations were cancelled.
The latest round of industrial action comes as the BMA said no progress had been made in discussions with government over pay, jobs and conditions.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said:
This is not where we wanted to be. We have spent the last week in talks with government, pressing the health secretary to end the scandal of doctors going unemployed — a situation which cannot go on.
Wes Streeting, Health Secretary, said in a post on X that the strikes were “unnecessary and irresponsible”.
He added:
My team and I have been talking to the BMA in good faith and are prepared to negotiate on jobs and conditions.
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