Responding to new situation report data published by NHS England today, which shows 137,081 appointments have been postponed due to industrial action in less than two months, Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers said:

"As trust leaders feared, the strikes on Monday and Tuesday caused the biggest disruption to services yet, with more than 49,000 appointments postponed over two days. Worryingly, this means more than 137,000 appointments have now been rescheduled due to the strikes in less than two months.

"There are no winners in this situation: patients are being hit hard, trusts can't deliver the care they want, and staff feel they have no choice but to join the picket lines. We cannot afford for industrial action to become the new normal in the NHS.

"Although trust leaders are incredibly adept at managing challenging situations, these prolonged strikes threaten to cause major long-term damage to the NHS, including hampering efforts and hard-won progress to tackle care backlogs. We're also concerned that fewer ambulance journeys on strike days could mean fewer patients get the urgent care they need, when they need it, and demand intensifies.

"Trust leaders understand why staff are striking, and are doing all they can to ensure high-quality care for patients on those days, but the high number of postponed operations and appointments will continue to climb unless a resolution is found.

"We all know what needs to happen next. The government must start talking to the unions, urgently, about pay for this financial year."