Patients whose hospital appointments are being rescheduled as a result of the nurses’ strike would be contacted directly, Oxford University Hospitals said.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing are staging a two-day walk-out on Monday and Tuesday.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust did not say how many ‘routine and non-urgent appointments and procedures’ would be affected – only that those patients whose appointments were affected would be contacted directly.

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OUH’s chief operating officer Sara Randall said: "We have tried-and-tested plans in place to deal with any changes to our services such as industrial action, and this is especially the case following our work during last month’s industrial action.

“As always, our priority is to continue to provide safe care for our patients, and anyone with a rescheduled appointment will be rebooked in for the soonest time possible.”

Hospital bosses ‘respected’ the nurses’ right to take part in ‘lawful industrial action’, Ms Randall added.

Across the country, thousands of nurses from the Royal College of Nursing will walk out on Monday alongside GMB and Unite paramedics, call handlers and other staff at ambulance trusts – including South Central Ambulance Service, which covers Oxfordshire.

Nationally, nurses will strike again on Tuesday, ambulance workers again on Friday and physiotherapists on Thursday. However, Oxford University Hospitals and Oxford Health Foundation Trusts are not among the 30 NHS trusts affected by Thursday’s physiotherapist strike.

Yesterday, the body representing NHS leaders called on the government to ‘show initiative’ to end its dispute with health service unions – or risk patients waiting even longer for treatment.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "We urge ministers to take the first step and find a resolution to this deadlock with the unions.

"It is not only the disruption on the day that is a cause of worry but the longer-term damage on service delivery, staff morale, reform, and how the public engages with the NHS too.

"As there appears to be no end to industrial action in sight and with at least 10,700 elective procedures having had to be cancelled already because of the strikes, health leaders fear a further escalation will only make the NHS's recovery even harder."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "Our sympathies are with anyone whose care has been affected as a result of strike action, and we urge unions to carefully consider the impact on patients.

"The Health and Social Care Secretary has been having constructive discussions with unions about the 2023/24 pay process, and wants to continue talking about what is affordable.

"The NHS has made strong progress in tackling the Covid backlogs, virtually eliminating waits of over two years for treatment - and we set out an urgent and emergency care recovery plan earlier this week to reduce waiting times for patients including through 5,000 more hospital beds and 800 new ambulances."