Health New Zealand said hospitals would remain open during a two day strike by senior doctors, but services would be scaled back, impacting planned care and appointments for more than 13,000 people.

The strike, involving Association of Salaried Medical Specialists members, is set to take place at all Health New Zealand hospitals and services from 12.01am Tuesday 23 September until 11.59pm Wednesday 24 September.

Health New Zealand Executive National Director Clinical Dr Richard Sullivan said contingency planning was well advanced, with an agreement in place to provide life preserving services throughout the strike period.

“Anyone who needs emergency care will still be able to receive it and patients who are already in hospital will continue to receive treatment,” Dr Sullivan said.

He urged people to keep emergency departments for emergencies only to ensure capacity was available for those in urgent need. Non urgent patients presenting at ED were likely to face additional delays.

Dr Sullivan said people should attend their scheduled appointments unless contacted directly about a postponement. Any deferred appointments would be rescheduled at the next available opportunity.

To maintain patient safety, most clinics would be closed and planned surgeries postponed.

The strike was expected to disrupt care for the entire week, with over 1,800 elective procedures, 3,600 first specialist appointments, 7,000 follow up appointments and 800 outpatient procedures postponed.

Dr Sullivan said an improved package was put forward last week but was rejected by ASMS.

“We have applied today to the Employment Relations Authority to fix the terms and conditions of a collective agreement. We are disappointed this is necessary, but we have been in bargaining with ASMS for over a year. We believe all bargaining options have been exhausted and that the application for fixing is the best way forward to ensure certainty for New Zealanders,” he said.