The BMA has balloted its members who have voted in favour of industrial action over changes to junior doctors’ contracts. Should the action go ahead, a number of doctors at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will be involved.

Jenny Hey, Deputy Director of Operations at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Individual staff members are not obliged to tell us if they intend to take part in the strike, however we are working with the doctors’ representatives and our clinical teams to build a picture of the likely impact and to ensure that, wherever possible, essential services can continue without compromising patient safety.

“Whilst we plan to maintain as many services as possible, we will need to postpone some appointments and procedures on the days that the action is taking place.  Those patients affected will be contacted, and those who do not hear from us should assume their appointment or procedure is going ahead as planned.

“Given the potential impact of the strike action on our hospital services, we would encourage people to think about whether they need to visit the Emergency Department, which is there for people in serious or life threatening situations. Patients can really help us by taking the appropriate action to treat their condition, which might mean contacting NHS 111 or attending a pharmacy. Better use of all the available services will help to ensure that only patients with a real emergency come to hospital, giving us more time to dedicate to those patients who really need us.”

The strike action is planned as follows:

·       08:00 on Tuesday 1 December to 08:00 Wednesday 2 December (action short of a strike, only emergencies will be covered)

·       08:00 – 17:00 on Tuesday 8 December (full strike action)

·       08:00 – 17:00 on Wednesday 16 December (full strike action)

27 November 2015