Cheltenham General Hospital’s accident and emergency department will continue normal operations after plans for its temporary closure were reversed. The facility had been scheduled to shut on Sunday evening and operate as a minor injury and illness unit through Friday, but the British Medical Association announced the suspension of a four-day resident doctor strike on Saturday following a new pay proposal from the government.
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust acknowledged that the late decision to proceed with normal services would create some unavoidable disruption. Cancelled appointments scheduled for Monday could not be reinstated in time, but health officials indicated they were attempting to reschedule patients booked for Tuesday through Thursday. The trust advised patients to attend appointments as planned unless they received direct contact indicating otherwise.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctor committee, indicated that the suspension was conditional rather than a permanent resolution. He stated that tens of thousands of frontline doctors would participate in a referendum to determine whether the government’s offer adequately addressed their concerns regarding employment levels and wage erosion. He warned that if doctors rejected the proposal in the vote, the BMA would proceed with escalated industrial action in the following month.
Health Secretary James Murray characterized the new offer as an opportunity to move beyond recent labor disputes. He noted that the government could not increase pay for the current year but had made progress in other areas including training positions and workplace conditions. The suspended walkout would have been the 16th strike action in the lengthy dispute over physician compensation.
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