Patients at Eastbourne DGH to be affected by strike

Last-minute talks have been taking place between the British Medical Association and the government in a bid to stop Wednesday’s strike over a contract dispute. However, if no agreement is reached, junior doctors in England will take part in their second 24-hour walk-out from 8am on February 10 until 8am on February 11. East Sussex Healthcare Trust is expecting outpatients appointments, day-case operations and inpatient operations to be postponed. A spokesman for the trust said plans have been put in place to ensure services are run safely. He said: “From 8am on February 10 to 8am February 11, emergency care will be prioritised - we expect to run all urgent and emergency care services (including A&E and maternity) and all community services. “Consultants will cover the usual duties of our junior doctors on our hospital wards to ensure the safety of inpatients. “We have rescheduled some operations and procedures along with outpatient appointments which were due to take place during the industrial action – we apologise for any inconvenience caused to patients due to circumstances outside our control (this is a national strike). “Patients whose appointments or procedures have regrettably been cancelled as a result of the industrial action, have been contacted directly. “They have been told their appointment or procedure will be rebooked as soon as possible. “However if the strike is called off at the last minute, we are telling those patients to attend hospital as their appointment or procedure will continue as originally planned.” Negotiations between the BMA and NHS Employers for new consultants and junior doctors’ contracts began in October 2013. Doctors are arguing the changes – proposed to improve seven-day NHS services — will result in a pay cut. The new contract proposes an 11 per cent rise in basic pay for junior doctors. However, the number of hours during the week which are classed as ‘unsociable’ and therefore better paid – are being cut. The government also proposes to scrap guaranteed pay increases, linked to time in the job, and replace them with a system where junior doctors progress through different stages in training. It is believed the BMA put offered a proposal during talks that would have seen doctors’ basic pay rise by half the 11 per cent offered by the government in return for Saturday not be treated as a normal working day. However the offer was rejected. Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live. Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. 1) Make our website your homepage 2) Like our Facebook page 3) Follow us on Twitter 4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here. And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out! Always the first with your local news. Be part of it.