JUNIOR doctors were on the picket line outside York Hospital today as they launched a five-day strike amid ongoing protests over pay in the health service.
The industrial action, which is being described as the longest walkout of its kind in the NHS’s history, will last until 7am on July 18, and 48 hours after that date consultants are set to strike for two days.
Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) in England mounted picket lines outside hospitals across England from 7am today (Thursday, July 13) at the start of the walkout, which will cause huge disruption, affecting operations and consultations.
A spokesperson for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs York Hospital, said the five-day strike, closely followed by the consultant strikes, was likely to have an impact.
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They said: "Unfortunately, we have postponed a number of operations and appointments over the period of strike action, which we will be re-arranging as a priority.
"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.
“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.”
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BMA leaders urged the Government to return to the negotiating table in a bid to resolve the long-running row, which has already led to a series of strikes and thousands of cancelled operations and consultations.
The five-day walk out started just hours before Rishi Sunak urged unions to call off strike action after accepting recommendations for pay rises for millions of public sector workers.
The Prime Minister accepted the recommendations from pay review bodies.
Junior doctors will receive six per cent rises, along with an additional consolidated £1,250 increase.
Hospital consultants, set to strike in England next week, will also receive a six per cent rise.
Mr Sunak called on the British Medical Association to help “make the NHS strong again” by returning doctors to the wards.
BMA leaders Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi earlier said: “Today marks the start of the longest single walkout by doctors in the NHS’s history, but this is still not a record that needs to go into the history books.
“We can call this strike off today if the UK Government will simply follow the example of the government in Scotland and drop their nonsensical precondition of not talking whilst strikes are announced and produce an offer which is credible to the doctors they are speaking with.
“The pay offer on the table to junior doctors in Scotland and how it was reached throws into sharp relief the obstinate approach being taken by the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary, Steve Barclay."
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “It is disappointing that the BMA is going ahead with further strike action. This five-day walkout by junior doctors will have an impact on thousands of patients, put patient safety at risk and hamper efforts to cut NHS waiting lists.
“We were in discussions about pay and a range of other measures to improve the working lives of junior doctors until their representatives collapsed the negotiations by announcing further strikes. A pay demand of 35 per cent or more is unreasonable and risks fuelling inflation, which makes everyone poorer."
He added: “If the BMA shows willingness to move significantly from their current pay demands and cancels these damaging and disruptive strikes, we can get around the table to find a fair deal to resolve this dispute.”
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