PATIENTS look set to bear the brunt of a GP walk out tomorrow with only emergency appointments and operations guaranteed to take place in the town.

Doctors are walking out in protest at the Government’s controversial pension reforms and a warning has been sent to patients to only use NHS services if there is an urgent need to do so.

The British Medical Association (BMA) announced the day of action last month after it accused ministers of pressing ahead with “totally unjustified” increases to pension contributions, and a later retirement age for doctors even though a deal on pensions was agreed four years ago.

In Swindon, bosses at the Great Western Hospital have said that all emergency care, patients booked in for cancer treatment and those already in hospital would be unaffected by the strikes.

Dr Alf Troughton, Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive at the GWH, said:“The dispute is between the government and the BMA but clearly the impact is felt at a local level. We have good working relationships with doctors and their representatives in the trust and we’re keen for that to continue.

“The plans we have in place are designed to minimise the disruption that this strike may cause for patients and other colleagues working in the trust. I know from our discussions with our medical colleagues they are also keen to ensure that patient safety and the quality of care provided during the day is not impacted.

“Anybody who needs emergency or urgent treatment on the day will get the care they need so shouldn’t be concerned. This also applies to our patients who we have booked in for cancer treatment and those patients already in hospital.

“I know that patients plan their home and working lives carefully around hospital appointments and our aim is to limit the disruption to them as much as we can.

“At the moment we don’t know what the exact impact on the trust will be but we need to plan for the possibility that some non-urgent appointments will need to be rearranged.

“We are working with our doctors to understand which areas may be affected by the strike and will be making contact with any patients where we have to reschedule their appointment as quickly as possible.”

NHS Swindon has warned patients must check with their individual doctors surgeries to see if they will be open for non-urgent appointments.

Debra Elliott, Director of Commissioning Development for NHS Swindon, said: “Patient care will always be our top priority, and we want to assure the public that we are working closely with the GPs in the county, and with the local hospitals, to ensure medical cover will continue to be available for our patients.”

The Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said as a result of planned action, up to 30,000 operations could be cancelled nationally, 58,000 diagnostic tests may be postponed and 200,000 outpatient appointments may have to be rescheduled.

Mr Lansley said that up to 1.25 million GP appointments would have to be pushed into the days and weeks following the action.

The BMA said that all non-urgent work will be postponed and that, although the action will be disruptive, doctors will ensure patient safety is protected.

Doctors will see anyone who is ill, or who believes they are ill, on the day of action – but will not be doing any paperwork.

Most doctors will be taking industrial action for the first time, with the last dispute almost 40 years ago.

Dr Peter Swinyard, a senior partner at the Phoenix Surgery, in Toothill, who voted in favour of the action, said doctors were already paying substantial amounts in tax and pension contributions, and described the proposed contributions increase as an unfair tax on doctors.

“My feeling is Swindon is fairly typical of the profession in that we’re there to look after our patients first and we will never do anything that will damage our patients’ healthcare,” he said.

“But we must say to the Government ‘You have gone a step too far, you must come back to the negotiating table and talk to us, or we will make life really difficult for you if you don’t, at a time when you need us to make the Health and Social Care Bill work’.”

Anyone who has an appointment booked at GWH tomorrow should still come in unless they have been specifically contacted.

Check your surgery website, or contact the practice directly in the first instance. Patients can receive routine advice by phoning NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

THE strikes will also affect the two other major hospitals used by families in Swindon.

A spokesman for the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford said: “The trust has been working closely with all staff to manage any impact to patients from industrial action by doctors on Thursday, June 21.

“Emergency care will not be affected and all patients who need urgent or emergency treatment will receive this on the day as usual. “All non-urgent patients impacted by the action will be contacted directly by the trust. Therefore, unless patients are informed otherwise by the service concerned, they should assume that their appointment will run as planned.”

The Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust is advising people not to attend the Emergency Department on Thursday, unless totally necessary. A spokesman for the RUH said: “All patients who need urgent or emergency treatment will receive this on the day. This will include all inpatient and outpatient cancer treatment.

“Inpatients will receive their normal level of care but it is possible that some routine hospital appointments and procedures, booked for June 21, may be postponed due to the industrial action.

“At this stage, that figure is less than 40 and affected patients are being contacted individually. Information about postponed services will also be put on the trust’s website (www.ruh.nhs.uk) and updated as required.”