Strike toll on cancer patients is 'disastrous'

MORE than 60,000 NHS appointments, including those for cancer patients, were cancelled in just five days of walkouts last year.

- By Lucy Johnston SOCIAL AFFAIRS EDITOR

As the Health Secretary urged doctors to reconsider strike action, the data, seen by the Sunday Express, reveals the devastating scale of disruption caused by junior, now resident, doctors last summer.

In all, 63,813 appointments and procedures were cancelled and most included biopsies, blood tests and X-rays - essential for the timely diagnosis of potentially deadly conditions like cancer.

Last night, senior sources close to Wes Streeting warned if further action is taken, the same delays and cancellations could be repeated.

The walkout also saw a huge rise in costs for locum and consultant fees as doctors cashed in on extra pay for out-of-hours shift work.

"These strikes are disastrous," warned Professor Carl Heneghan, a leading clinical epidemiologist and urgent care GP at Oxford University.