BOSSES at Musgrove Park Hospital have moved to reassure patients ahead of a planned strike by junior doctors - despite some operations and appointments being cancelled.

Last-ditch talks to head off the strike are due to resume this morning, with the British Medical Association (BMA) saying Army medics are likely to be drafted in to help if the walkout goes ahead.

Three days of talks have so far ended without resolution, and Government negotiators will sit down with BMA officials again this morning in a bid to resolve a dispute over pay and working conditions, providing emergency care only for 24 hours from 8am on Tuesday followed by full walkouts from 8am to 5pm on December 8 and 16.

Meanwhile Dr Colin Close, medical director at Musgrove, said plans had been put in place for any walkout.

“We have worked with nursing and medical colleagues to put robust plans in place to ensure that the hospital remains completely safe during the proposed strike periods, and so we are confident that anyone coming to the hospital during this period will get the high quality, safe care they can expect from us," he said.

“Unfortunately this means that we have had to postpone some planned surgery and appointments to ensure that we are able to continue to deliver high quality care to those people who need us in an emergency.

"Where this has been necessary we have been contacting those affected directly as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes, however, patient safety is always our utmost priority.

“If you have an appointment with us on the day of a strike, and have not been contacted by us to say it has been postponed, please attend your appointment as normal. There is no need to call in and check.”

In its Guide to Safe Picketing for the strike action, the British Medical Association (BMA) said: "It is likely that our armed forces colleagues will be asked to step in to provide support for clinical services on the days of action.

"The law does not permit them to take part in industrial action, but their support for services during the industrial action is welcome."

The Department of Health, NHS Employers and the BMA have been involved in negotiations hosted by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), to try to reach agreement ahead of the strike action.

The action would cause mass disruption to the NHS, with hospitals forced to cancel outpatient clinics and non-urgent operations.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt previously refused to agree to discussions unless BMA officials came to the negotiating table first, but changed his mind on Wednesday when he told BMA chairman Dr Mark Porter "any talks are better than strikes".

A BMA spokeswoman said: "Strike action is still planned for Tuesday, and talks will carry on on Monday."

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