Consultations and junior doctors strike across Lincolnshire and Newark
Both groups are walking out across the country in a row over pay
Last updated 22nd Sep 2023
Health bosses in Lincolnshire and Newark are bracing themselves for what they say will be one of the most disruptive 24 hour periods in NHS history.
Junior doctors and consultants across the region are staging the first ever joint walkout in a row over pay and conditions.
Hospitals are operating "Christmas day levels of cover".
The Government says strikes only impacts patients and they have offered a reasonable level of pay.
Over 15 years we've lost over 35 per cent of our pay
NHS services in Lincolnshire told us anyone who has an appointment unless they've been contacted with someone saying otherwise.
We spoke to Andrew Jordan from the BMA who was at a picket line with consultants from across the East Midlands.
He told us: "We are obviously making sure patients are safe over that period - it's what we call a Christmas day level of cover so there is that minimum level of staff who remain as they do on Christmas day."
"They'll make sure patients are safe - that's absolutely at the forefront of what we're trying to do."
Consultants are receiving a 6% pay rise alongside generous reforms to their pensions
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said any changes to minimum service levels rules would help protect patients while respecting people's right to hold industrial action.
He said doctors who started their hospital training this year are receiving a 10.3% pay increase, with the average junior doctor getting 8.8%.
Consultants are receiving a 6% pay rise alongside "generous reforms to their pensions, which was the BMA's (British Medical Association's) number one ask", he added.
"In the face of ongoing and escalating strike action, we will continue to take steps to protect patient safety and ensure the health service has the staff it needs to operate safely and effectively."