HOSPITAL bosses confirmed that dozens of operations and appointments were cancelled as a result of the strike by junior doctors.

Members of the BMA walked out at 8am on Tuesday for 24 hours after failing to reach agreement with the Government on a new contract.

In the North-East and North Yorkshire, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs James Cook in Middlesbrough and the Friarage in Northallerton, confirmed that 37 operations and 156 outpatient appointments had been cancelled due to the industrial action.

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Darlington Memorial, Bishop Auckland and the University Hospital of North Durham hospitals, was forced to rearrange 21 elective surgeries, 53 new patient appointments and 144 review appointments.

Middlesbrough consultant and BMA Council member Clive Peedell said the Government wanted junior doctors to work more unsocial hours to deliver their seven-day manifesto pledge - but at no extra cost to the Treasury.

He added: "The simple maths means that however you jiggle the contract, it is inherently unfair, because doctors who work the most weekends and nights will be the most disadvantaged.

"These doctors just happen to work in the most hard pressed emergency specialties, where there are already serious recruitment and retention problems.

"If this contract is enforced, many will vote with their feet and leave the NHS with very serious consequences for the service and patient care."

Picket lines were formed at hospitals across the region including Darlington Memorial, James Cook, the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton and the University Hospital of North Durham.

GP trainee Tom Gorman, 33, originally from Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, works in Consett, County Durham.

He said: “We already work 24/7, we work weekends. Under the proposals we will work more weekends.

“The North-East already struggles to recruit doctors. Polls have shown that students say they wouldn’t now take up training to be a junior doctor.

“Others say they would move abroad, or to Scotland, where the new contract isn’t being imposed. The North-East are only going to find it more difficult in that climate."

The striking doctors had the support of other campaigners.

Members of the Keep Our NHS Public Durham group joined the NHS workers outside the main entrance of University Hospital of North Durham.

Carole Reeves, from the group, said: "It should be remembered that we depend completely on the work of junior doctors to keep our hospitals running.

"It is essential that even more are not pushed into resigning or working abroad."