Over 1k Essex hospital appointments rescheduled due to strike

The trust had 137 acute inpatient and 903 acute outpatient rescheduled appointments after junior doctors took industrial action from December 20-23.

Trust chief operating office Andrew Pike said: “We ensure our staff are well prepared to cope during periods of industrial action, with many rescheduling leave to enable us to run our services safely. 

Looking ahead to the planned six-day strike in January, Mr Pike said: “We are facing another round of industrial action during our busiest weeks of the winter, so it’s important that services are used wisely.”

Strike - Junior doctors are striking due to poor pay and conditions (Image: PA/Owen Humphreys)

The public is being urged to only use 999 and A&E in “life-threatening emergencies” and to contact NHS 111 online for non-urgent needs.

The trust also revealed that around half of its junior doctor workforce took industrial action in December.

In response to this article, Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs, said: “It’s regrettable that at our mutually agreed deadline during talks, the Government’s offer on the table would have still resulted in a real-terms pay cut for doctors this year.

"This led to our committee unanimously voting for further strike action.

"It is a shame the Government could have avoided the unnecessary disruption to patients if they had presented a credible offer, especially if there was, as suggested by the Secretary of State, another offer for them to make.

They said it was “an inconsistent approach” from the Government to be engaged with talks with barristers during their strike action, but not with junior doctors, adding: "We are clear that we will talk at any time, right up to the 11th hour, and if talks result in a credible offer we can put to members, then further strikes can be averted.”