Strike Called Off, A&E Remains Operational
A last-minute pay proposal has resulted in the suspension of planned strikes at Cheltenham General Hospital, preventing the closure of its Accident & Emergency (A&E) department.
The hospital's A&E was scheduled to close at 20:00 BST on Sunday and operate as a minor injury and illness unit until Friday. However, on Saturday, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced the four-day strike by resident doctors would be put on hold following a new government pay offer.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust indicated that it was too late to reinstate appointments cancelled for Monday but that efforts were underway to reschedule those planned from Tuesday through Thursday.
Service Disruption and Patient Guidance
The NHS trust issued a statement saying,
"While this late change means some disruption to services is unavoidable, we are working quickly to restore services wherever possible."
Patients are advised to attend their appointments as scheduled unless they receive direct communication otherwise.
BMA and Government Statements
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA's resident doctor committee, commented on the situation,
"All we have asked for is a fair offer that secures enough jobs to tackle the madness of doctor unemployment and take steps to address the erosion of our pay.
Tens of thousands of frontline doctors will now vote in a referendum on whether this offer is sufficient.
Doctors will now have their say. If they say no to this offer we will have to continue our plans for further escalated action across next month."
Health Secretary James Murray described the new offer as,
"a chance to draw a line under the damaging disputes of recent years"
He added,
"The country simply cannot afford to increase the pay offer for this year. I am pleased that the BMA have recognised this, which has allowed us to make progress in other areas, such as training places and working conditions."
Background on the Strike
The planned walkout was to begin at 07:00 on Monday and continue until 06:59 on Friday. This would have marked the 16th strike in the ongoing dispute over doctors' pay.
Additional Information
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust continues to work on reorganising affected appointments and services to minimise disruption.
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