MORE than 900 appointments were postponed by the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust due to February’s junior doctors strike.

The trust rescheduled 99 inpatient and day case surgeries and 837 outpatient appointments due to February’s five-day strike.

The industrial action took place from February 24-28, with junior doctors striking for better pay and reforms to retain new doctors.

A trust spokesman said the number “may increase” as further cancellations are processed on the systems and that 473 elective surgical cases still went ahead.

The spokesman said they also did not book patients in, knowing they would not be able to fulfil appointments, meaning the impact of the strikes is “likely to be higher”.

The trust said it has had to “cancel” 34,648 outpatient appointments, including new and follow-up appointments, and 4,702 inpatient and day case surgeries since the first industrial action in April 2023.

Braintree and Witham Times: Staff - MSE chief executive said the strikes meant staff would feel the impact of extra workloadStaff - MSE chief executive said the strikes meant staff would feel the impact of extra workload (Image: MSE)

Trust chief exec Matthew Hopkins said: “We continue to feel the impact of ongoing strike action long after the action has finished.

“While we acknowledge the legal right of our staff in taking action, we are aware this sets us back in being able to reduce waiting times for treatment."

He added: “Having to reduce the number of appointments and operations during strike action impacts on patient experience, and those staff who step up to keep services going obviously feel the effect of the extra workload.”

Braintree and Witham Times: Crisis - BMA regional co-chair Roshan Rupra said the NHS was on its kneesCrisis - BMA regional co-chair Roshan Rupra said the NHS was on its knees (Image: BMA)

Roshan Rupra, chair of the BMA's East of England Regional Junior Doctors Committee, said: "The underlying issue here is that the NHS is on its knees. In 2022-23, hospitals in England cancelled 12million total appointments, despite there being just two days of strike action.

“Throughout industrial action we’ve maintained discussions with NHS England, stressing that trusts should be planning services on and around strike days carefully, and prioritising people with the most urgent needs."

He added: "We recognise that industrial action causes disruption and it is for that reason that it is taken only as a last resort."