NHS Industrial Action
The British Medical Association has confirmed Consultant and Junior Doctor members will join forces in a combined 3-day strike action early, in what will be the eleventh month of industrial action across the NHS.
This combined period of industrial action will start at 7am Monday 2 October and run for 72-hours until 7am Thursday 5 October.
Members of Society of Radiographers (SoR) are also planning action on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 October, however Trust union members did not meet the threshold to strike in this round of the ballot, and will not participate in this current period of action
These periods of action are in response to the ongoing pay dispute and is a matter that remains between the unions and the Government.
This will cause disruption to some services and some appointments will unfortunately have to be rearranged. We are contacting all patients directly if their appointment is affected by this next round of strike action. If you have not been contacted then please attend your appointment as planned.
Our priorities remain to provide safe care for patients who are receiving inpatient care in our hospitals and those who need urgent and emergency medical care. We are working hard to prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and will rebook immediately, where possible.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during these times. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused.
Our emergency department will remain open, for medical emergencies or anyone requiring urgent medical attention. If you need urgent medical help for something that isn’t life threatening or a serious injury please contact NHS 111 or NHS 111 Online. You will be directed to the most appropriate place for your care or treatment. GP practices will remain open, please continue to attend your GP and dental appointments, unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
When to contact NHS 111:
- You need medical help fast, but it's not a 999 emergency.
- You don't know who to call for medical help or you don't have a GP to call.
- You think you need to go to A&E or another NHS urgent care service; or.
- You require health information or reassurance about what to do next.
Outpatient appointments
During the period of action we need to rearrange some appointments to ensure we have safe levels of staffing on our wards, emergency departments and other critical areas. Patients with an appointment planned during the period of action will be contacted directly if their appointment needs to be rescheduled. We appreciate how disappointing this will be for anyone waiting for treatment or investigations and we are sorry to postpone arrangements. However, we will rearrange any cancelled appointments as soon as possible. Patients who are not contacted in advance should attend their appointment as planned.