LOTS OF appointments across Hampshire hospitals have been rescheduled due to strikes.
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has rescheduled 1,569 appointments as a result of the action, new figures show.
This was because of a 96-hour strike from April 11-15 in a dispute over pay.
Out of the rescheduled appointments across Hampshire, 173 were inpatient procedures, while 1,396 were outpatient, according to NHS England figures.
READ MORE: Strikes: doctors picket for second time this year over pay
The British Medical Association has demanded a 35 per cent pay rise, which Health Secretary Steve Barclay labelled "unrealistic".
Across England, nearly 200,000 hospital appointments and procedures also had to be rescheduled.
Dr Lara Alloway, chief medical officer at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Despite extensive planning and the hard work of our colleagues, we knew that significant disruption to services was unavoidable during periods of industrial action.
“The re-scheduling of a number of appointments was necessary to ensure we were best placed to provide emergency care, and thanks to the incredible efforts of our colleagues we were able to keep our urgent care – and numerous other services such as cancer care – running safely last week."
Dr Alloway apologised for the additional wait of their planned care, but reassured that the hospital trust have "robust plans" to ensure their teams see patients and re-book appointments as quickly as possible.
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