A THIRD of Oxfordshire doctors surgeries took part in a day of action yesterday.

Twenty-six out of 82 county surgeries took part in the first industrial action for 37 years.

They joined doctors up and down the country who were protesting over the Government’s pension reforms.

NHS Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, which oversees GP practices in the two counties, said last night all surgeries which had said they would take part in the action had done so.

Only emergency and urgent cases were seen by the doctors taking part.

The British Medical Association (BMA) announced last month members intended to take part in industrial action against pension changes, which mean doctors will have to work until 68 and make bigger contributions to earn a pension worth £68,000 a year.

Among them was Dr Kearley & Partners at the Jericho Health Centre, which refused to comment.

The Temple Cowley Health Centre, above, took part. Staff said it was quiet all day.

Abingdon GP Prit Buttar, pictured, took part in the action.

He said: “It’s been a quiet day, seeing urgent patients only. Two home visits for terminally ill patients, a few seen who had urgent problems, but no routine appointments apart from child immunisations, which we felt we couldn’t cancel.”

Last night chiefs at the Oxford University Hospital Trust were still refusing to say how many doctors took part in the move and how many operations and appointments had been cancelled as a result.

The trust, which runs Oxfordshire’s four main hospitals, said: “The trust has been working closely with all staff to ensure that today’s industrial action has had minimal impact.

“All emergency care services have been operating as normal.

“We have not seen any difference in the numbers of patients presenting to the emergency departments.”