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25
Mar
Harrogate hospital could face six more months of strikes
Harrogate District Hospital could face a further six months of disruption after junior doctors voted to extend their mandate for strike action.
It’s been over a year since junior doctors began striking over pay and this week 98% of British Medical Association union members backed further walkouts on a turnout of 62%.
Most recently, junior doctors at the Lancaster Park Road hospital staged two separate walk-outs between December 20-23 and January 3-9.
The strikes have had a “draining impact”, according to the boss of Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust.
Junior doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training and they make up nearly half of the medical workforce in England.
The BMA says while workload and waiting lists are at record highs, pay has effectively been cut by more than a quarter since 2008.
The union is asking the government for a 35% pay rise, but health ministers have described the demands as unreasonable.
A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the hospital hopes a deal can be reached before future strikes take place.
They said:
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