More than 150 Morecambe Bay patients have their appointments cancelled due to junior doctors' strike
New figures from NHS England show more than 150 appointments were postponed in Morecambe Bay as a result of the junior doctors' strike earlier this month.
The six-day walkout from January 3 to January 9 was the longest strike in NHS history, with the British Medical Association demanding a 35% pay rise. The Government called this "not affordable".
NHS England figures show the strike resulted in more than 113,000 inpatient and outpatient appointments across England being postponed.
Of these, 170 were at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, with Wednesday January 3 seeing the highest number of postponed appointments, at 67.
NHS leaders warned the impact caused by the strike could last for months.
NHS England’s national medical director, Prof Sir Stephen Powis, said: "The longest strike in NHS history has led to unprecedented disruption for patients and their families, and while staff have planned extensively and worked tirelessly to keep patients safe, it comes once again with an enormous cost."
Sir Stephen said the figure is likely higher than the 113,000 recorded, with medical leaders and frontline staff concerned about rising flu cases and the cold weather causing increased hospitalisations.
"This puts an incredible strain on staff who have been covering striking colleagues as we continue to navigate one of the most difficult times of year," he added.
"Colleagues across the NHS will now be doing everything they can to make up for lost time as we continue to make progress on addressing the elective backlog and ensure patients get the care they need."
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, urged the Government and unions to "sit down and talk to find a way to stop this dispute dragging on".
Louise Ansari, chief executive at Healthwatch England, said patients bear the brunt of industrial action.
The figures also show an average of 65 junior doctors were on strike each day over the six-day period at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, with the walkout peaking on Thursday January 4 at 104.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We want to put an end to damaging strikes once and for all, and if the BMA junior doctors’ committee can demonstrate they have reasonable expectations, we will still sit down with them."