Doctors outside the John Radcliffe Hospital apologised to patients as they began their latest strike.

But the consultants and junior doctors beginning their three day walk-out on Monday morning (October 2) said patients should lay the blame at the feet of the government.

Speaking on the picket line outside Oxford’s largest hospital, hand surgeon Ian McNab accused the government of ‘stonewalling’ the unions as the pay dispute has dragged on.

And he said that his colleagues had ‘tried everything short of strikes’, claiming ministers were refusing to take steps to resolve the industrial action.

The British Medical Association, the union organising strikes, said that its junior doctor and consultant members would only provide ‘Christmas Day’ levels of staffing from 7am on Monday until the same time on Thursday.

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Hospital dentists from the British Dental Association are also set to walk out during the same time frame, providing emergency care only.

Radiographers at 37 NHS trusts in England – although not in Oxford - will also join picket lines for 24 hours from 8am on Tuesday morning.

Speaking to Times Radio on Monday morning, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said the strikes were ‘counter-productive’ as thousands of pounds was being spent paying for doctors to cover striking colleagues’ shifts.

“I don’t think we should be taking any risks at all with patient safety,” he said.

“We’ve offered doctors an above inflation pay rise – it wasn’t the Government’s suggestion, it was a suggestion that came from an independent pay review body.”

Speaking on the picket line on Monday morning, Oxford surgeon Mr McNab said of his message to patients whose appointments had been cancelled as a result of the latest strikes: “I’d say sorry that we’ve been pushed to do this.

“I think you can lay the blame firmly at the door of the prime minister and secretary of state [for health]. We have been ready to negotiate; they haven’t met with us for six months.

“It’s eminently solvable through negotiation.”

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He added: “We don’t want to be here, because we’d rather be treating our patients. But we’ve seen a 35 per cent pay erosion over the last 15 years or so and that can’t be continued.

“It’s unacceptable. It’s the worst in the public sector. It’s the worst in the private sector. And we need to have that corrected.

“The reason we’ve got to this situation is because what is supposed to be an independent pay review process has failed every year because it has been interfered with by the government.

“We’ve tried all the normal routes, tried everything short of strikes. The government has remained intransigent and not taken any steps to resolve this.”

Ahead of this week’s strikes, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the industrial action would have a ‘significant impact’ on services.

All patients whose appointments were being cancelled would be contacted directly, a spokesman said.