Harrogate District Hospital is braced for two sets of winter strike action as junior doctors stage further walkouts.
Members of the British Medical Association and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association announced the industrial action amid a dispute over pay with government.
The latest round of walkouts will take place from 7am on Wednesday, December 20, until 7am on Saturday, December 23 for BMA members.
However, HCSA members will stop strikes a day earlier on 7am Friday, December 22.
Meanwhile, a further walkout from the BMA will take place in the new year on Wednesday, January 3, until 7am on Tuesday, January 9.
Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs, said:
“We have been clear from the outset of these talks that we needed to move at pace and if we did not have a credible offer, we would be forced to call strikes. After five weeks of intense talks, the government was unable to present a credible offer on pay by the deadline.
“Instead, we were offered an additional 3%, unevenly spread across doctors’ grades, which would still amount to pay cuts for many doctors this year. It is clear the government is still not prepared to address the real-terms pay cut doctors have experienced since 2008.”
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the industrial action is likely to impact on services and some appointments and elective surgery will be cancelled.
However, hospital officials said patients should continue to attend appointments unless contacted to reschedule.
A statement from the trust said:
“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.
“Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is important to know that people with life-threatening or severe illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and come forward as normal.”
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Picket line in Harrogate as trains and hospital hit by strikes
A picket line was in operation outside Harrogate railway station today as the district was hit by another day of strikes to key services.
Members of train drivers’ union Aslef picketed on Station Parade from 8am to noon in what was their 14th wave of industrial action since June last year.
No trains operated on the Harrogate and Knaresborough line and rail operator Northern has warned of further disruption tomorrow and Friday. Passengers are advised to check before they travel as there may be some short notice cancellations.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said there had been no further talks with the government or rail firms since the union rejected a “risible” pay offer in April.
Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said:
“We hope to see a resolution to this issue in the near future and an end to the disruption these strikes cause.”
A three-day strike by junior doctors and consultants at Harrogate District Hospital is due to end at 7am tomorrow.
The British Medical Association said the strike over pay had resulted in ‘Christmas Day’ cover, meaning emergency care had been staffed but only minimal cover had been provided elsewhere.
Read more:
- Harrogate hospital spends nearly £1 million on staff cover for strikes
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Harrogate hospital braced for four-day strike by junior doctors
Harrogate District Hospital is set for a further round of strikes tomorrow as junior doctors stage a four day walkout.
Members of the British Medical Association will take industrial action from 7am on Friday (August 11) until 7am on Tuesday (August 15).
The strike comes amid an ongoing dispute with government over pay.
Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the junior doctors committee at the BMA, said:
“It should never have got to the point where we needed to announce a fifth round of strike action.
“Our message today remains the same: act like a responsible government, come to the table to negotiate with us in good faith, and with a credible offer these strikes need not go ahead at all.”
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has warned that appointments and elective surgery may be cancelled as a result of the walkout.
In a statement, the trust said:
“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.
“Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is important to know that people with life-threatening or severe illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and come forward as normal.”
Meanwhile, consultants are also set to stage a 48-hour walkout later this month.
Members of the British Medical Association will strike from Thursday, August 24, until Saturday, August 26.
Officials at Harrogate hospital have warned the consultants walkout is also “likely to impact the trust”.
Read more:
- Harrogate junior doctors: ‘We are prepared to continue to strike’
- Harrogate hospital cancelled 117 appointments due to consultants strike