PATIENTS have reacted with frustration to the lack of information around proposed industrial action by Oxfordshire doctors.

The British Medical Association (BMA) – the largest union for doctors – announced members will be taking part in industrial action on Thursday.

Doctors will not be carrying out non-urgent routine operations, outpatients appointments, diagnostic tests or GP consultations on the day, but will be in their normal place of work to deal with emergency cases.

It is not clear how many of some 720 local doctors intend to take part in the action, the first of its kind in the profession since 1975.

And hospital chiefs said last-minute talks about the move were still being thrashed out with teams at Oxford’s John Radcliffe, Churchill, and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, and Banbury’s Horton hospital.

Abingdon GP Prit Buttar, who is joining the action, said the dec- ision was not one he had taken lightly. Dr Buttar, who has stepped down from his role in clinical commissioning after becoming ‘disenchanted’ with the Government’s NHS reforms, said: “At my surgery we have been advising people that I can’t offer them an appointment next Thursday.

“But I will be in my place of work to see people who need urgent care.

“This is a tax purely on doctors. There is no-one else who is being asked to pay as much.”

As yet, no contingency plans for patients have been announced by either the primary care trust NHS Oxfordshire, or the Oxford University Hospitals Trust (OUH).

The move comes after a majority of doctors voted in favour of action in a BMA ballot of 104,000 members over pension changes.

Lisa Morosoli, from Blackbird Leys, said: “They do work hard but what makes them so special? It’s not as if they don’t get enough money.

“Everyone is in the same boat. It’s totally wrong.”

Friend Karen Allen, also from Blackbird Leys, has an appointment on Friday next week. She said: “I haven’t been told anything about this. My doctors are really good so I hope it won’t have a knock-on effect.”

Miranda Berry, whose husband Steven receives kidney dialysis each week, said she had not been contacted by the Horton to say whether his appointment would be affected.

According to the conditions of the action, people booked in for elective operations on Thursday, such as knee and hip replacements, could see them postponed.

Hospital appointments for routine conditions could also be cancelled, but tests for critical conditions such as cancer should still be available, and maternity services and A & E should run as normal.

BMA Council chairman Hamish Meldrum said: “We have always made it clear that we are taking industrial action reluctantly and would far prefer not to take it at all. We are not asking for special or preferential treatment, just fair treatment.”

NHS Oxfordshire, the county’s primary care trust, said it had given GPs until today to inform them of how they intend to act.

A spokesman said: “Patient safety is paramount and urgent and emergency care will always be provided.”

The OUH said it was assessing the potential impact. A spokesman said: “The trust will contact any patients whose appointments may be affected, but every effort will be made to carry on as usual and minimise disruption.

“We will be making announcements on our website early next week.”

Roswyn Hakesley-Brown, chairman of the Patients’ Association, said: “The distinction between an urgent and a non-urgent case may not be clear, and as a result time may be lost in cases where treatment is needed urgently.

“And at a time when people are already waiting longer for elective surgical procedures, further cancellations of those operations will not be welcomed by those waiting in pain for a hip or knee replacement.”

PENSION CHANGES Contributions increased from April 1, 2012, by 2.4 per for doctors earning more than £48,983 and by 1.5 per for doctors earning £26,558 – £48,982.

BMA calculations say if they earn £50,000 per year their income will fall by £100 per month (gross), and if they earn £100,000 they will be £200 worse off.

For a doctor in specialist training, the basic starting salary is £29,705.

Consultants can earn a basic salary of between £74,504 and £100,446 per year, and GPs employed directly by PCTs earn between £53,781 and £81,158.