Cheltenham A&E fully reopens after doctors' strike

Cheltenham's A&E unit fully reopened on 9 January after two doctors' strikes

The emergency department in Cheltenham has fully reopened after two strikes by junior doctors.

Cheltenham General Hospital's A&E closed initially for three days on 19 December.

Some limited services were then restored over the Christmas period as the department became a minor injuries unit.

It closed again entirely on New Year's Day for a further six days with a significant impact on wait times.

The industrial action is part of a long-running dispute over pay and conditions between the British Medical Association and the government. Junior doctors said the government's latest offer of a 9% rise is not enough.

The most recent six-day strike which finished at 07:00 GMT on Tuesday was the longest in the history of the NHS.

Health services in Gloucestershire have been under pressure and faced a difficult start to the year because of the action, NHS managers said when the latest strike began.

Since junior doctors started their walkout, 1,500 outpatient appointments and 230 operations have been cancelled.

• Strike sees 1,500 hospital appointments cancelled

• Emergency unit now closed for three weeks

'The right decision'

Speaking to the BBC earlier in January, medical director at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Professor Mark Pietroni, said it has been the toughest period the trust has had to plan for.

"We have just come out of the double-bank holiday period for Christmas and New Year and it's been a very tough time. We've had long waits over the holiday period."

Mr Pietroni also said closing Cheltenham's A&E was the right decision, but it was a difficult one to make.

"It was so we could safely staff one unit. I'm of the opinion that by staffing strongly at least one unit, is better than two departments that are poorly staffed, particularly given the very high pressure of work we see over Christmas and the New Year," he added.

During the action, anyone from Cheltenham who needed urgent care was taken to Gloucestershire Royal in Gloucester which was open as normal during the latest round of strikes.