East Lancashire NHS Hospitals Trust (ELHT) has announced that its consultants are set to strike once again in August.

Consultants in England, who are already set to strike on Thursday, July 20, and Friday, July 21, will do the same next month, as the British Medical Association (BMA) announces new industrial action dates in response to the government imposing another real-terms pay cut on doctors.

Last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he was accepting the recommendation of independent pay bodies for a six per cent pay rise for consultants, along with the same award for England’s striking junior doctors, who are also being offered an additional consolidated £1,250 increase.

The BMA has described this offer as “a derisory, sub-inflation pay award”.

Consultants in England had already announced they will take action this week unless the Government presented them with 'an offer than begins to reverse the 35 per cent pay erosion' they have experienced, as well as committing to reform the current broken pay review process.

With the government announcement not addressing either, and to ensure consultants and trusts are as prepared as possible for further industrial action, the BMA’s consultants committee has now announced further provisional strike dates of August 24 and 25, the Thursday and Friday before the August bank holiday weekend.

The strike will once again be based on Christmas Day levels of cover, meaning emergency care will still be provided.

ELHT, which manages the Royal Blackburn, Burnley General, Accrington Victoria and Pendle Community hospitals, has confirmed its hospitals will be impacted by the strikes.

The trust has warned of cancelled or delayed appointments and is urging patients to be aware of the expected impact.

Tony McDonald, Executive Director of Integrated Care, Partnerships and Resilience at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, said: “There is likely to be significant impact and services will feel different for patients.

"This could include longer waits, or treatment and appointments being rescheduled or cancelled, which may be at short notice as the trust explores every possible avenue for activity to go ahead.

"Whilst the trust absolutely respects the right of all colleagues to strike, the junior doctors’ and hospital consultants’ industrial action called one after the other will create significant challenges and it is vital people are aware of the pressure the health service will be under and know the best way to access care during that time.”

Resources will be prioritised to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care and trauma, as well as patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.

Urgent and emergency care services will be open during the industrial action period and in the event of a life or limb threatening emergency people should call 999 or attend accident and emergency services.

Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chair, said: “The government has once again imposed a savage real terms pay cut on consultants.

“Consultants have always been clear that industrial action is a last resort but in the face of a government intent on devaluing consultants’ expertise and their lack of regard for the impact this is having on the NHS, we have been left with no choice.

“We’ve had our pay cut year after year, put our lives on the line during a pandemic and now are managing a record backlog of care.

“The prime minister says cutting these waiting lists is a priority but then undermines his own policy by showing he doesn’t value those charged with delivering it. Cutting pay once again shows the government’s complete disregard for the profession.

“This “final offer” and flat refusal to engage in further talks has left us with no option but to continue our action.

“We have therefore announced further strike dates in August and will announce further dates in due course.

“We will have always tried to give as much notice of dates as possible in order to  help our colleagues prepare and minimise the impact on patients.

“More than 80 per cent of consultants in our ballot voted for industrial action and this week’s announcement will only strengthen their resolve.

“Consultants are the NHS’s most experienced, highly-skilled clinicians, and are responsible not just for providing specialist care to patients, but also leading entire services and training the doctors of the future.

“The future of the NHS depends on there being consultants within it, but attacks on their pay will drive them away, from the health service and from the country, with devastating consequences.”