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May 2023

Last Updated: 24/05/2023

Health

Harrogate hospital pledges to maintain services amid junior doctors' strike

by Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter

| 24 May, 2023

Junior doctors on strike on Wetherby Road in Harrogate in March 2023.

Harrogate District Hospital has pledged to ensure services are maintained ahead of a planned 72-hour walkout by junior doctors.

The British Medical Association announced it will take action after talks with government over a pay increase broke down.

Staff will walkout at 7am on Wednesday, June 14, until 7am on Saturday, June 17.

Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust have said that a “strike planning team” will be set up to maintain services during the industrial action.

Patients will be urged to attend appointments as normal unless contacted to reschedule.

A spokesperson for the trust said:

“In response to the recent announcement that junior doctors, who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA), are set to undertake 72 hours of industrial action in June, we will be establishing a multi-professional strike planning team to develop plans to ensure essential services can be maintained on the strike days, and to minimise as much as possible any impact on our services, staff and patients.

“Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will be re-arranging any postponed appointments as a priority. We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Nobody should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strike, and key services will continue to operate.”

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The walkout will be the third time junior doctors have taken strike action this year.

In April, 470 appointments and 21 operations were cancelled and rescheduled at Harrogate District Hospital as a result of the second round of strikes.

The move comes as the BMA described the latest government pay offer of a 5% increase for junior doctors as “in no way credible”.

Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said the government “would simply not accept the fundamental reality of the pay cuts” staff had faced.

https://twitter.com/SteveBarclay/status/1660733292922957825

In response, Steve Barclay, health and social care secretary, described the news of the walkout as “disappointing”.

He said:

“We made a fair and reasonable offer, and were in active discussions on a range of issues.

“I am still keen to continue talks if these highly disruptive strikes are called off.”

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Harrogate hospital pledges to maintain services amid junior doctors' strike

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