Hospital disruption expected as doctors walk out

The 48-hour ‘emergency care only’ strike will see thousands of Yorkshire appointments and operations postponed, prompting officials at regional hospital trusts to warn patients through letters this week.

Nationally more than 5,000 procedures have already been cancelled ahead of the walk-out.

Trainees are picketing outside every major hospital in the region this morning in the third British Medical Association (BMA) strike in recent months.

Pickets will also be staged tomorrow morning at all hospitals except those in Mid Yorkshire, where afternoon pickets will start at 1.30pm. Further 48-hour partial walk-outs are due from 8am on April 6 and 26.

Dr Melody Redman, a Yorkshire junior doctor, said: “Most people are really disheartened by what’s happening at the moment. These strikes have been designed to cause inconvenience for the Government while causing as little disruption as possible for patients.”

NHS England incident director Dr Anne Rainsberry has warned that this week’s strike, starting at 8am today, will heap “significantly more pressure on the NHS” as it is twice as long as the previous strikes.

She added: “The cumulative effect of these recurring strikes is likely to take a toll.”

This week’s strike follows Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s controversial decision to impose Government’s new junior contract on workers in August.

Negotiations last broke down over Government’s desire to cut the number of ‘unsocial hours’ doctors can receive extra pay for.

A Department of Health spokesman said patients have seen more than 19,000 operations cancelled due to the BMA’s “irresponsible” strikes.

He said: “We urge junior doctors to look at the detail of the contract and the clear benefits it brings.”

Dr Johann Malawana, the BMA’s junior doctor chair, said strikes were “unavoidable” and urged Government to negotiate.