Junior doctors are set to strike for 72 hours next week – and hospital bosses have warned that planned procedures will be affected.

Members of the British Medical Association are set to take industrial action on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (March 13-15) as part of a pay dispute.

They are the latest medical staff set to strike, following action by ambulance workers, nurses and physiotherapists in recent weeks. And there are concerns that the junior doctors' strike will lead to elective and planned procedures being cancelled at Royal Stoke and Stafford's County Hospital.

University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust, which runs Royal Stoke and Stafford's County Hospital, is preparing for the industrial action. Members of the trust board heard on Wednesday (March 8) that locum cover could be sought from agencies, but this would come at a financial cost.

Royal Stoke University Hospital main building (Google).

The chief executive's report presented to Wednesday's UHNM board meeting said the junior doctors' strike was considered the "biggest risk at present" in the medical division. It added: "Planning and preparation for the junior doctors strike is expected to have a significant impact on services.

"After continued industrial action including ambulance staff and physiotherapists, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) have paused their strike action and are now in talks with the government over their pay arrangements. However, the British Medical Association (BMA) ballot closed on the 20th February with a mandate for strike action which will take place over three days in March – 13th, 14th and 15th.

"We have commenced planning with our clinical divisions so that we can mitigate the impact of this as far as possible although we recognise that this will bring us further challenges. This includes establishment of a Strike Liaison Committee to oversee co-ordination of a full hospital engagement plan."

The trust is still dealing with a backlog of planned procedures in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. While it is expecting to meet a target of clearing two-year waits by the end of this month, it is anticipated there will be more than 140 patients who have waited around 18 months – and there are concerns this backlog will be affected by next week's industrial action.

Board chairman David Wakefield said: "The significant impact will simply increase the existing backlog of work. To what extent does NHS England understand and accept the current trajectories for the backlog which will be adversely impacted upon?".

Chief Executive Tracy Bullock said: "I think they understand the reality. They understand the work the junior doctors do.

"I think there is a desire nationally that we cancel as little as possible. But the reality is the majority of our elective and planned activity will go down and it will inevitably add to the backlog."

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