HEALTH chiefs at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have thanked staff and patients for their support following the 24 hour strike by junior doctors, members of the British Medical Association (BMA).
In all some 122 junior doctors failed to come in to work at the trust’s hospitals – the Alexandra Hosspital in Redditch, Worcestershire Royal in Worcester and Kidderminster General.
The trusts interim chief operating officer Rab McEwan said: “We planned ahead to make sure we were ready for the industrial action, and that planning paid off because our hospitals ran smoothly on the day.
“Unfortunately we had to cancel 20 operations and 171 outpatient appointments, and I apologise to all of the patients who were affected.
“Those patients are now at the top of the priority list to be rescheduled and we will see them as quickly as possible. We aim to book cancelled operations back in within 28 days, and many have already been rescheduled. I’d like to thank our staff and patients for their continued support.”
Nationally more than 3,000 operations were cancelled.
Talks are currently under way to avert a second strike, this time for 48 hours, scheduled for Tuesday, January 26.
The BMA action is over pay for working at weekends and safeguards to protect doctors from being overworked.
