Junior doctor strikes: NHS appointments cancelled

Junior doctors gathered outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay on Tuesday

The strike by Wales' junior doctors has seen the cancellation of 6,500 outpatient appointments and 400 planned operations.

Junior doctors have held a second day of strike action amid a pay row and will continue the action on Wednesday.

Thirteen of Wales' 19 hospitals have been at their busiest, or "red" level, said the head of the NHS in Wales.

But there were no adverse impacts at emergency services, Judith Paget said.

Emergency care has been prioritised with more senior doctors in hospitals covering shifts around the clock, reducing the ability of the wider service to carry out planned or non-urgent care.

Ms Paget told a press conference in Cardiff on Tuesday that, on an average day, the NHS in Wales sees 14,500 outpatients and carries out 1,300 planned operations.

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She said cancellations represented about 30% of all operations and more than 45% of outpatient appointments.

Health minister Eluned Morgan said the strike had attracted a 75% turnout by junior doctors and had a "huge impact" on care but generally the system "has been fairly resilient."

Ms Morgan said the UK government had "failed to provide clarity" to the Welsh government about the funding available to Wales as a result of NHS pay deals made in England.

Regarding funding from the UK government, she added: "There's a lot of smoke and mirrors about how things are financed within the health budget in the UK.

"We're not clear as to whether they are finding additional resources from within their health budget, or whether that's additional resources from within the centre.

"If it's coming from the centre we should be eligible for a consequential, we don't know that."

The Welsh government's pay rise offer of 5% was rejected by the British Medical Association (BMA).

The BMA said its members had been "forced" to take the "difficult decision" to strike after seeing their pay drop by almost a third over the past 15 years.

About 4,000 junior doctors work in Wales

The UK government said the Welsh government was "well funded" to deliver on its devolved responsibilities - including health.

"We are providing it with a record £18bn per year settlement, the highest since devolution," a spokesman said in a statement, adding the Welsh government "must ultimately answer to the Senedd and the people of Wales on how it chooses to fund services".

Ms Morgan said the Welsh government was "always open" to further discussions with the BMA and interested in negotiating a new contract, and said there were opportunities to reopen talks.

About 4,000 junior doctors work in Wales, many of whom work in hospitals - the starting salary is £28,471.

The minister said the situation remained "intense" and reminded the public to only attend hospital in urgent and life-threatening situations.