The boss of a Suffolk and north Essex hospital trust has revealed that 350 operations have had to be cancelled due to strike action by junior doctors.
Nick Hulme, chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, said operations and appointments had to be rescheduled so cover could be provided for the most urgent services.
READ MORE: Operations cancelled by hospitals as junior doctors strike
More than 36,000 NHS workers across England participated in the 72-hour walkout, which started on Monday, calling for a pay rise.
The doctors' trade union the British Medical Association (BMA) is demanding a 35% pay rise.
READ MORE: Ipswich news
Mr Hulme said: “We have been working hard over many weeks to plan for the junior doctor strikes.
"Managers and administration staff have been working alongside clinicians to make sure we were able to keep patients safe during the three days of strike action.
"Our focus was to provide cover for our most urgent services using other parts of the workforce so we have had to reschedule appointments and operations.
READ MORE: Suffolk news
"This means patients who have been waiting for their treatment are now having to wait even longer and we apologise to anyone who has been unable to go ahead with their care.
"We know how disappointing this is for patients and our teams are already working to rearrange the appointments as quickly as possible.”
Earlier this week, Paul Molyneux, interim medical director for West Suffolk Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, revealed the Bury St Edmunds hospital was putting 'tried and tested' contingency plans in place to maintain the welfare of patinets and support staff.
He said patients were being contacted directly if their appointments were being cancelled.
Surgeries in the county were also set to be affected, though to a lesser degree.
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