JUNIOR doctors in East Lancashire have welcomed renewed talks with the government after strike action due for yesterday was suspended at the eleventh hour.

The suspension came too late for thousands of patients, whose operations and appointments were cancelled.

They have been told their appointments will be reorganised.

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The news has been hailed by one junior doctor from East Lancashire as a good move but she warned that it was “worrying” that the threat of imposition of new contracts was still there.

The BMA has also maintained the right to hold its strikes before a deadline of January 13 if talks break down.

Junior doctor Dr Latifa Patel said: “I think everyone involved is happy to be back around the table. This is something that the BMA and junior doctors have worked for, for the last ten days.

“I think a lot of those cancelled appointments and operations could have been avoided if Jeremy Hunt had come to the table sooner.

“I think junior doctors will do whatever it takes to protect junior doctors, patients and the NHS.

“We are concerned we will have an unsafe contract imposed on us and concerned we will have frontline staff stretched to provide a seven-day service on a five-day funding.

“If the proposals that Jeremy Hunt hand to the BMA are still unfair and unsafe for patients, then we will have no choice but to go down the strike route.”

Up to 60 junior doctors had been planning to form picket lines at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals yesterday.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust BMA union representative Dr Jennifer Redfern said the main issue for junior doctors were fears about having to work longer hours.