Patients across Huddersfield face potential disruption to medical appointments as resident doctors prepare to take part in six consecutive days of strike action. The industrial action, coordinated by the British Medical Association, is set to run from 7am on Tuesday 7 April until 6:59am on Monday 13 April 2026.
The Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal Hospital, has confirmed it is undertaking significant planning to maintain patient safety during this period. The Trust stated it will contact any patients whose appointments or procedures need to be rescheduled due to the walkout. Resident doctors are advised to wait for the hospital to get in touch rather than cancelling their appointments themselves.
This upcoming strike marks the 15th round of industrial action since the current dispute over pay and conditions began in March 2023. The British Medical Association rejected a recent government offer that included a £700 million pay package spread over three years, alongside a 3.5% pay uplift recommended by the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration. The union is calling for what it describes as full pay restoration to address a 26% decline in real-terms pay since 2008-09, while the government maintains that doctors have received a 28.9% pay rise over the last three years.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has offered the union until 2 April 2026 to reconsider the proposal before it is withdrawn. Meanwhile, national health leaders have warned that the six-day strike could cost the health service approximately £300 million and is expected to lead to longer waiting times for routine care across the country.
The Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust employs more than 7,000 staff and serves over 103,000 patients annually as inpatients and day cases. Hospital officials are working to manage the impact on services as the national dispute continues into its fourth year.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
