Thank you for your interest in this story

To continue reading this article, subscribe to the Stray Ferret for as little as £1 a week

Already a subscriber? Log in here.

Jun 2023

Last Updated: 28/06/2023

Health

Operations and appointments at Harrogate hospital to be cancelled amid consultants strike

by Calvin Robinson Chief Reporter

| 29 Jun, 2023

The continuous improvement drive will involve all 5,000+ of the trust's staff.

Operations and appointments at Harrogate District Hospital look set to be cancelled after consultants announced strike action.

Members of the British Medical Association voted on Tuesday to walk out for 48 hours in a dispute over pay.

The strike by consultants will take place on July 20 and will follow a five-day demonstration by junior doctors.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said it will have to make changes to outpatient and theatre services on the days of industrial action.

Consultants will carry out what is described as Christmas Day cover, meaning most routine and elective services will be cancelled but full emergency cover will remain in place.

The move come as the BMA urged the government to come forward with a credible offer in order to avert strike action.

Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chair, said:

“Consultants don’t want to have to take industrial action, but have been left with no option in the face of a Government that continues to cut our pay year after year.

“However, it is not too late to avert strike action and the Government simply needs come back to us with a credible offer that we can put to our members.”

Ripon hospital to provide more health checks after £1m award

Harrogate junior doctors: ‘We are prepared to continue to strike’

In response to the decision, a spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the hospital will draw up plans to ensure “essential services can be maintained on strike days”.

However, they added that some outpatient appointments and operations will have to be rearranged.

The spokesperson said:

“To prioritise emergency care and to keep all our patients safe we will have to make changes to some of our outpatient and theatre services on the days of industrial action.

“As we have during previous strikes we will have to cancel outpatient appointments and elective operations, however we will be re-arranging any postponed appointments as a priority.”

Thank you for your interest in this story

Operations and appointments at Harrogate hospital to be cancelled amid consultants strike

Read more: