Services will be 'significantly impacted' from today due to the junior doctor strike, Leeds NHS trust says.
Junior doctors across the country are set to strike for 72 hours from 7am on Monday, March 13 to 7am on Thursday, March 16. The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has issued a statement on what to expect while the strikes are ongoing.
The trust has said: "We know that this will have a significant impact on our hospitals, as our junior doctors are incredibly important to the running of our services and we really value their hard work and expertise. We recognise how challenging this period can be for colleagues and how difficult the decisions are that colleagues are having to make.
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"During strike action, urgent and emergency treatment will be our priority. We are working closely with union representatives to ensure plans are in place to maintain safe care for patients, while facilitating and respecting the right of those staff who wish to take legal industrial action."
The trust has advised anyone with an appointment to attend unless they have already been contacted about it to reschedule. The trust apologised for the inconvenience and said postponed appointments will be rearranged "as a priority".
"Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk," the trust added. "On days where there is strike action, patients should only call 999 if it is a medical or mental health emergency (when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk)."
Any hospital inpatients impacted by the strike action will have been spoken to by staff. Doctors from the British Medical Association and the Hospital Doctor's Union will be taking part in the strike action. Junior doctors are going on strike over low pay, particularly in the face of the cost of living crisis and the years of debt accrued from five plus years of medical school.
Junior doctors can earn as low as £14.09 an hour in their first year, the Guardian has reported. In some places, this is lower than the new hourly rate for Pret a Manger baristas.
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