Hundreds of appointments cancelled during strike

The five-day strike finished on Wednesday

More than 250 outpatient appointments have been cancelled due to a doctors strike, an NHS trust has said.

The five-day industrial action by resident doctors came to an end across England on Wednesday.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said 266 outpatients appointments and 59 operations were cancelled at Gloucestershire and Cheltenham Royal Hospitals.

A spokesperson for the trust apologised to patients affected by cancellations and said it had "worked hard to minimise disruption", but understood the distress changes could cause.

"We're doing all we can to reschedule affected patients quickly and thank everyone for their patience and understanding," they added.

Resident doctors represent nearly half the medical workforce and range from doctors fresh out of university through to those with up to a decade of experience.

The British Medical Association (BMA) says resident doctors' pay will be 20% lower in real terms than it was in 2008, even after an increase in August.

Talks between Health Secretary Wes Streeting and the union are due to resume early next week.

Streeting said he was not willing to negotiate on pay, but would carry on previous talks focused on working conditions, including career progression, exam fees and rotas.

The five-day walk out was the 12th strike since spring 2023, but the first under Labour.