Over 60 000 appointments rescheduled during August junior doctors strike

The most recent walkout by junior doctors, which took place between 11 and 15 August,1 led to 61 200 acute inpatient and outpatient appointments and procedures being rescheduled, NHS England has said.2

The NHS in England has faced more than eight months of industrial action so far, with many healthcare professionals including nurses, junior doctors, consultants, and physiotherapists staging walkouts repeatedly over pay.

This has led to the NHS needing to reschedule a total of 839 327 inpatient and outpatient appointments and procedures, data show.

Junior doctors began taking industrial action over pay in March, and have so far held five walkouts equating to 19 days of action. They are …