Junior doctors started a three-day walkout at Musgrove Park Hospital on Monday in a dispute over pay and conditions. Strike action is due to take place from Monday, March 13, until Thursday, March 16, at hospitals across the country.
The NHS Somerset Foundation Trust, which runs Musgrove Park Hospital at Taunton, has issued advice to patients over what to do during the strike.
In guidance last updated on Friday, the trust said: "If you have an appointment, please attend as planned. Please don’t call to check if your appointment is going ahead. If your appointment is affected by industrial action, we will contact you directly
"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."
A spokesperson for the NHS Somerset Foundation Trust confirmed that junior doctor members of the British Medial Association had set up a picket line outside the hospital.
The British Medical Association, one of three trade unions involved in this week's action, says that junior doctors have suffered a 25% pay cut since 2008/2009. From Monday 61,000 junior doctors will action stoppages to demand a 26% pay rise.
The Health Secretary Steven Barclay described union demands as “simply unaffordable”, in an article written for the Sunday Telegraph, and urged the BMA to return to the negotiating table to "agree a fair settlement"
David Smith, head of the BMA's GP training committee said: "Falling pay means many junior doctors, including GP trainees, feel overworked and undervalued during their training.
"This leads to us seeking alternative employment outside the UK or pursuing a reduction in the number of sessions we are prepared to work upon gaining our certificate of completion of training."
For further guidance see the NHS Somerset Foundation Trust website.
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