A PUBLIC meeting is being held in York for people concerned about the NHS - as the hospital trust prepares for a second junior doctors' strike.

MP Rachael Maskell will speak at the meeting at the Priory Street Centre next week, alongside Dr Clive Peedell, consultant oncologist and founder member of the NHS Action Party, and Professor David Hunter, a health administration and management expert from the University of Durham.

The meeting on Friday will explore why "Britain’s most loved and valuable public service" is now under threat and will explore how this problem can be solved.

The meeting will come soon after Wednesday's second planned strike by junior doctors, due to run for 24 hours.

In York, the hospital trust said it did not have to cancel any elective operations as it planned to do less of them on the day but that some appointments may need to be postponed.

Jenny Hey, deputy chief operating officer at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Individual staff members are not obliged to tell us if they intend to take part in the strike, however we are working with the doctors’ representatives and our clinical teams to build a picture of the likely impact and to ensure that, wherever possible, essential services can continue without compromising patient safety.

“Whilst we plan to maintain as many services as possible, we will need to postpone some appointments and procedures on the days that the action is taking place. Those patients affected will be contacted, and those who do not hear from us should assume their appointment or procedure is going ahead as planned.

“Given the potential impact of the strike action on our hospital services, we would encourage people to think about whether they need to visit the Emergency Department, which is there for people in serious or life threatening situations.

"Patients can really help us by taking the appropriate action to treat their condition, which might mean contacting NHS 111 or attending a pharmacy. Better use of all the available services will help to ensure that only patients with a real emergency come to hospital, giving us more time to dedicate to those patients who really need us.”

Junior doctors will still provide emergency cover on Wednesday. They are striking as the British Medical Association could not reach an agreement with the government on new junior doctor contracts.

  • The meeting organised by Defend Our NHS will be held on Friday at the Priory St Centre from 7pm to 9pm.