Emergency care is 'priority' for hospital

ROYAL Stoke doctors were today due to begin a five-day strike.

- Sentinel Reporter

Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, were due to walk out in a row over pay from 7am.

The industrial action by the British Medical Association (BMA) comes as the Royal Stoke University Hospital is battling winter pressures.

The University Hospital of the North Midlands NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, says consultants, specialist doctors and all other NHS staff will continue to work. It will prioritise lifesaving and emergency care, meaning less urgent cases may experience longer waits, and some appointments or procedures may be rescheduled.

UHNM has pledged to 'continue to work closely with the BMA to ensure patient safety is protected and safe staffing levels are in place for emergency and urgent care'.

It says patients should attend appointments unless told to reschedule.

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Mark Poulson said: "Thanks to the dedication of NHS staff during the last period of industrial action in July - including many resident doctors who volunteered for extra shifts - UHNM was able to maintain more planned activity than during previous strikes.