Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth hospitals have today confirmed appointments have been rearranged following news of a planned radiographer’s strike over a government pay dispute.

Routine appointments have been rescheduled to avoid a clash with industrial action taking place nationwide on November 24.

Diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy professionals who are members of the Society of Radiographers (SoR) will stop work for four hours with NHS workers from 10 other unions and then work-to-rule for the remainder of the week.

SoR chief executive Richard Evans said: “We had an overwhelmingly positive response to our last strike. The public were very supportive and understood that this dispute is over more than just a pay rise, it’s about ensuring the NHS can recruit and retain highly skilled staff to deliver quality healthcare services.

“The action is being taken by members of the Society and other NHS trade unions because pay has not kept pace with inflation. The government rejected a recommended one per cent pay rise in England for the current year and Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, has said that there will be no increase in 2015. The pay freeze will have been imposed for four out of five years.”

A Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust spokesman said emergency care will continue to be provided however pre-booked appointments and procedures may be affected.

The SoR represents 28,000 people who work in the radiography profession for the treatment of cancer.