'Month of worry' as doctor strikes postpone surgery

Tom Lawson, a patient awaiting gastric bypass surgery, has described facing a "month of worry" after his operation was postponed due to industrial action by resident doctors. The 45-year-old from Washington, near Sunderland, revealed he has endured three heart attacks while waiting over three years for the procedure, which is now rescheduled for May.

Lawson stated that the delay, which was originally set for this week at Sunderland Royal Hospital, hinders his return to employment and his ability to resume a "productive lifestyle." The current six-day walkout by British Medical Association (BMA) members marks the 15th strike since 2023, following the collapse of negotiations with the government regarding pay and training agreements.

While the BMA argues that insufficient progress has been made on pay and staffing shortages, the government maintains that the doctors’ demands are unreasonable. Lawson, whose surgery was originally due this weekend, described the cancellation as being "hit with a sledgehammer." Although he supports the doctors' right to strike, he highlighted the personal toll of the delay, noting that the new date coincides with his son’s GCSE exams.

"Ultimately, the impact on me personally is another month of worry," Lawson said. "It's the whole fundamental reasoning behind wanting to have this procedure, to allow me to get some of my health back - to allow me to get back into employment and get back into a productive lifestyle."

The dispute comes four years after resident doctors were renamed from junior doctors, a period during which they have received a 33% pay rise through various agreements. The government claims the industrial action is costing the NHS £50 million daily.

Speaking outside the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle on Tuesday, Dr. Harry Waterman defended the staff’s position. "We're not just being greedy, we acknowledge that there's been an uplift, that there's been more than other professions have received," he said. "But what you also need to do is you need to put that into context of that fact that we'd seen far greater erosion than other public sector health workers have seen."

Dr. Waterman expressed frustration that the government had withdrawn an offer of 1,000 additional training places for resident doctors due to the strikes. He argued that these positions would benefit both medical staff and the public by helping to reduce waiting lists. "To make those waiting lists come down, part of the thing we need to do is actually increase the amount of consultants that we have," he explained.

The Department of Health and Social Care responded by stating that the government had presented a generous offer and expressed disappointment that the BMA proceeded with the strikes. They added that their current focus is on minimizing disruption to NHS services.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-04-08 12:32:52 UTC