North Yorkshire hospitals say they'll contact you if your appointment is cancelled
Thousands of resident doctors will go on strike across England from today
Thousands of NHS resident doctors in England are starting a five-day strike this morning in a dispute over pay.
Health leaders are warning the NHS may have to cut frontline staff plus appointments and operations for patients if doctors’ strikes continue.
The NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, which represent health trusts, said continued action was piling pressure on already-stretched budgets.
The five-day action from Friday is the 13th walkout by doctors since March 2023, with the last strike in July estimated to have cost the health service £300 million.
NHS leaders warn of strike consequences
NHS Confederation and NHS Providers said that if the NHS continues to have to foot the bill from strikes, it could lead to staff being cut and fewer tests, appointments and operations being carried out.
The knock-on impact on patients is they will be forced to wait longer for care, and many may no longer be able to work without the treatment they need, they said.
The groups also warned that strikes are hitting progress in bringing down NHS waiting lists. Figures on Thursday showed early signs the waiting list is dropping, with September seeing a slight fall after three consecutive months of rises.
The last time resident doctors went on strike, more than 54,000 procedures and appointments needed to be cancelled or rescheduled, despite the NHS maintaining 93% of planned activity.
"Less urgent cases may experience longer waits"
In a statement York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:
'Disruption to staffing may mean some appointments and procedures might need to be rescheduled. If we have not contacted you, please attend any planned appointments as normal. We will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and will rebook as quickly as possible.
If you need urgent care, please continue to come forward as normal regardless of any industrial action taking place. Especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.
During the strikes, there may be fewer doctors working than usual, and they will need to prioritise life saving care. Less urgent cases may experience longer waits during strikes.'
"We appreciate this situation is frustrating"
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation 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.'
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has refused to move on the issue of pay for resident doctors, saying they have received an almost 30% increase in pay over three years.
But the BMA argues doctors need a 26% pay uplift to restore their earnings, once inflation is taken into account.