Health chiefs in South Tyneside gearing up for doctors' strike

The British Medical Association has confirmed junior doctors in England will strike for five days, between 8am and 5pm from Monday, September 12, to Friday, September 16.

The move follows a vote by junior doctors in July to reject the proposed changes to their contracts and the BMA says the government is refusing to acknowledge junior doctors’ concerns and continuing with plans to impose the contract in October.

Dr Bob Brown, South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust’s Executive Director, Nursing and Patient Safety, said: “We are currently preparing robust plans for the first of the announced strikes by junior doctors. We will be in a much more informed position by early next week, once we have reviewed the outpatient clinics and planned operations for the week beginning September 12, to decide the measures which need to be taken.

“We can assure our local population that we will do everything we can to minimise any disruption to services at South Tyneside District Hospital, whilst still ensuring patient safety.

“We anticipate that other doctors and healthcare staff will be working normally but we will, undoubtedly, be very busy. We are always very grateful to our staff and the local public for their support during periods of industrial action and we would urge South Tyneside’s residents to carefully consider using NHS services wisely and stay away from A&E unless they have a serious and life-threatening injury or condition.”

The Patients Association says the strikes could have a catatrophic impact on patients.