Junior Doctors who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) will be undertaking round the clock industrial action from the following dates:
- BMA: 7am on Wednesday 20 December 2023 – 7am on Saturday 23 December 2023
- HCSA: 7am on Wednesday 20 December 2023 – 7am on Friday 22 December 2023
- BMA: 7am on Wednesday 3 January 2024 – 7am on Tuesday 9 January 2024
These instances of industrial action over the winter period are likely to impact the Trust, with some appointments and elective surgery needing to be cancelled.
You will be contacted if your appointment needs to be changed. Please continue to come forward for the care you need.
We understand this may cause our patients and their families to worry about how services will be delivered during this period. The safety of our patients is our primary concern and we have developed plans for the proposed action and its impact on our services, patients and staff. 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.
Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and any postponed appointments will be re-arranged as a priority. We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is important to know that people with life-threatening or severe illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and come forward as normal.
For people who require medical assistance and are considering visiting our Emergency Department, unless it’s a life-threatening or a severe illness or injury, we would ask that they contact NHS 111 first either by calling or going online https://111.nhs.uk/. The NHS will help them right away and if they need urgent care, they can be seen quickly and safely.
If you attend our Emergency Department when your condition is not serious or life-threatening, you may be asked to go elsewhere to seek support or you may have a very long wait for treatment. For more information on when to go to A&E, please visit the NHS UK website.
Thank you for your understanding.