Junior doctor strike to cause Yorkshire-wide five-day disruption

Junior doctors are taking part in strike action due to run for five days as part of a dispute over pay

Yorkshire patients have been warned of a "significant impact on services" as junior doctors begin a five-day strike.

Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) are walking out amid a continuing dispute over pay, with the strike described as the longest of its kind in the history of the NHS.

Ministers say the government's 5% pay offer is "fair and reasonable".

The NHS urged anyone who needs medical care to come forward in the normal way between Thursday and Tuesday.

The industrial action is the fourth strike by junior doctors since the pay dispute started, with the below-inflation pay rise on offer described as not "credible" by the BMA union.

Len Richards, chief executive of Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The disruption will largely take place for elective or scheduled-type patients, those coming to outpatients, those with scheduled operations.

"We will have to cancel some of those but we're working really hard to keep as many going as possible."

Len Richards, chief executive of Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, says the five-day disruption was "difficult to respond to"

Mr Richards, from the trust running Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury hospitals in West Yorkshire, added: "If patients hear from us than we will reschedule their appointment, but if they don't hear from us it means it's still going ahead and they should still attend the appointment."

In East Yorkshire, Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust warned services across Hull Royal Infirmary, Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Women and Children's Hospital are "expected to be severely impacted".

Prof Makani Purva, chief medical officer for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, warned waits for emergency care "will be lengthy".

"The Emergency Department should only be used by those with a serious need, and patients could find themselves being redirected to other services where it's appropriate to do so," she said.

Patients across the region have been told to continue to use NHS 111 for advice, with Accident & Emergency and 999 services still available for more serious matters.

In North Yorkshire, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust reassured patients their safety was their "primary concern".

"We are working hard to prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery," a statement said.

Sheffield Children's Hospital in South Yorkshire reiterated the message of emergency care still being available.

Jeff Perring, its medical director, said: "Our first responsibility is always to the children and families who depend on Sheffield Children's.

"By working together we aim to reduce the impact the action will have on babies, children, young people and their families."

Junior doctors make up around half of all hospital doctors in England and a quarter of all doctors working in GP surgeries. The BMA represents over 46,000 junior doctors in the UK.