Cheltenham General Hospital’s A&E department will continue normal operations after the British Medical Association suspended a scheduled walkout by resident doctors. The facility had been slated to close on Sunday evening and reopen as a limited-service minor injury and illness unit through Friday, but the strike cancellation reversed those plans.
The BMA announced the suspension of the four-day industrial action after the government presented a new pay proposal. While the exact terms of the offer were not detailed in official statements, health officials indicated progress had been made on matters beyond current-year salary increases, including training positions and workplace conditions.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust acknowledged that the last-minute change would create some service disruptions. Cancelled appointments scheduled for Monday could not be rescheduled in time, but hospital leadership stated efforts were underway to reorganise patient visits booked from Tuesday through Thursday. The trust advised patients to keep existing appointments unless notified directly by the hospital.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctor committee, indicated the suspension represented a step forward but emphasized that member approval remained necessary. He stated that tens of thousands of frontline doctors would participate in a referendum on the offer’s adequacy. Fletcher warned that if doctors rejected the proposal, escalated strike action would resume in the following month.
Health Secretary James Murray characterised the development as an opportunity to move beyond previous labour disputes, noting that current fiscal constraints limited further salary increases for the year. The suspended action would have marked the 16th strike in the ongoing compensation dispute.
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