Patients across Somerset are 'likely to be impacted' after medics launched renewed strike action.

Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton is among a number of hospitals across the county set to be affected by the latest round of strikes by junior doctors in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.

Junior doctors with the BMA and HCSA trade unions walked out of Musgrove hospital at 7 am on Wednesday, January 3, and will withhold their labour until 7 am on Tuesday, January 9 - making it the longest strike in the history of the NHS.

Guidance issued by Somerset NHS FT, which manages Musgrove, indicated essential services would continue on affected days, but that some procedures could be rescheduled.

A spokesperson for the Trust said their teams were working to maintain as many services as possible, but warned of long waits and changes to planned appointments. In a statement they said:

"Teams across the trust are working together to ensure that we can continue to provide urgent and emergency care for all patients, and to keep as many of our services running as possible. We are expecting all hospital services to be very busy over the festive season and the following few weeks around the strike periods.

"It is likely that some of our patients will be impacted by the strike action, and for non-urgent cases, this could include longer waiting times in the Emergency Department, deferred treatment / clinics and in some areas, we may need to consolidate services (so where there are two services in an area, only one may be open).

"You may also see a difference in the colleagues who are working on our wards, as teams work together from across a broad range of service areas to provide essential services.

"If we need to change any planned appointments we will try to give as much notice as possible, but on occasion, we may need to make some last-minute changes to planned procedures or appointments."

By Tuesday, NHS bosses had issued at least 20 requests to striking doctors to return to work, saying that the walkout had put the health service under intense pressure. So far the requests have been refused by the doctor's unions.

Commenting on the strike action, BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said in a statement: 

“Doctors would have liked to start the new year with the hope of an offer on pay that would lead to a better-staffed health service and a better-valued profession. Instead, doctors are still set to be paid £15.50 an hour and are being forced to go back out on strike by a Government that cannot get its act together and make the reasonable offer on pay it knows it eventually must. 

“We spent the holiday period hoping we would get the ‘final offer’ that the Health Secretary had promised us last year. Sadly, we have received no such offer despite repeatedly saying we would meet for talks any time over Christmas. We will continue to offer to meet throughout these coming strikes. All we need is a credible offer we can put to members and we can call off these strikes."

But the government criticised the move, warning it would impact patients at a heightened time of business for the NHS. In a statement the Health and Social Care Secretary said: "Health and Social Care Secretary, Victoria Atkins, said: 

“January is typically the busiest time of the year for the NHS and these strikes will have a serious impact on patients across the country. Over 1.2 million appointments have already been rescheduled since industrial action began, including over 88,000 during last month’s strikes.

“The NHS has again put in place robust contingency plans to protect patient safety and it is vital anyone who needs medical help continues to come forward.

“I urge the BMA Junior Doctors Committee to call off their strikes and come back to the negotiating table so we can find a fair and reasonable solution to end the strikes once and for all.”

For further information and advice visit the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust website.