Consultant and junior doctor strikes set to impact operations and appointments at Scarborough Hospital next week

Several days of strike action by NHS consultants and junior doctors next week is set to impact scheduled appointments and operations across the Trust that runs Scarborough, Bridlington, and York hospitals.

NHS consultants will strike on Tuesday, September 19 but will deliver Christmas Day levels of staffing and junior doctors will work as usual.

For the first time, a day of joint action will also take place with junior doctors and consultants striking on Wednesday, September 20 with Christmas Day levels of staffing.

This will be followed by a full walkout of junior doctors on Thursday, September 21 and Friday, September 22.

The York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it had postponed some operations and appointments over the period of strike action, which it would be “rearranging as a priority”.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), a spokesperson for the Trust said: “We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Anyone with an appointment should continue to attend as planned unless they have been contacted to rearrange.

“Urgent and emergency treatment remains our priority and patients can continue to access care from our emergency departments, maternity services and critical services for inpatients. It is vital that people do not put off seeking care.”

Junior doctors in NHS in England have said they are taking strike action because their “pay has been cut by more than a quarter since 2008” and to “agree on a mechanism with the Government to prevent any future declines against the cost of living and inflation”.

Earlier this summer prime minister Rishi Sunak said that the Government’s offer of a 6 per cent pay increase to doctors was final and that “no amount of strikes” would change his mind.

Consultants are set to take part in the joint day of strike action with health bosses having warned that the walkout by senior clinicians could lead to even more delays than the junior doctors’ action.

The British Medical Association has said that “analysis of NHS and government data shows how consultants’ pay has ‘flatlined’ in the 14 years to 2022/23”.

Further days of joint action by consultants and junior doctors have been planned for next month, with walkouts set to take place for three days between October 2 and 4.

Speaking to the LDRS, the NHS Trust spokesperson added: “It is even more important people choose services wisely over this period so that care is available to patients who need it most.

“This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and continuing to only use 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.”