The British Medical Association (BMA) have announced junior doctors and dental trainees will take strike action 7am on Wednesday 3 January until 7am on Tuesday 9 January have also been announced.
Members of the public are asked to be mindful of the strikes when considering which health services they need to use during the period of strike action.
What’s happening?
We have now seen over a year of industrial action across the NHS and staff continue to work hard to provide patients with the best possible care under the circumstances. Industrial action has impacted over a million hospital appointments across the NHS.
Previous round of industrial action by consultants and junior doctors in October saw over 118,000 hospital appointments disrupted and over 24,000 staff off per day due to industrial action.
During these strikes, other doctors (including consultants and other specialist doctors) will still be working. The NHS is working hard to ensure adequate staffing through the entirety of urgent care pathways, urgent elective cases, and other critical services. However, the disruption to staffing will cause a significant reduction in elective activity and this may mean some appointments and procedures may need to be rescheduled. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and will rebook immediately, where possible.
The BMA and HCSA have stated junior doctors will undertake a full withdrawal of labour. The NHS will be working closely with unions to discuss any patient safety concerns and ensure safe staffing for emergency care continues to be available. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned. The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action.
The NHS is asking patients to choose services appropriately during industrial action and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs, and only using 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.
Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.
Ahead of the industrial action, the advice for anyone that is travelling to other areas is to:
- Make sure you have ordered and collected any repeat medicines
- Remember that your first port of call for GP care is your home practice, which will be able to provide online, phone and video consultations as well as arranging for prescriptions to be sent to any Pharmacy you choose.
GP practices will continue to be open during the junior doctors strike. Please continue to attend your GP and dental appointments, unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
For more information on when to call 999 and when to visit A&E, you can visit the NHS website.
FAQs
What is happening?
Trade unions representing some NHS staff are in dispute with the Government over the 2022/23 pay award. A number of the unions have balloted their NHS members to take part in industrial action. As a result, members of the following unions have advised of plans to take strike action on the dates listed below:
- 7am on Wednesday 3 January until 0700 on Tuesday 9 January - Junior doctors from BMA will be taking strike action. HCSA junior doctors may join subject to the outcome of their ongoing ballot.
What does this mean for care?
During these strikes, other doctors (including consultants, GPs and other specialist doctors) will still be working. However, The NHS is working hard to ensure adequate staffing through the entirety of urgent care pathways, urgent elective cases, and other services. However, the disruption to staffing will cause a significant reduction in elective activity and this may mean that some appointments and procedures may need to be rescheduled. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and will rebook immediately, where possible. The BMA and HCSA have stated junior doctors will undertake a full withdrawal of labour. The NHS will be working closely with unions to discuss any concerns around patient safety and ensure that safe emergency care continues to be available.
What does this mean for elective activity?
This level of disruption to staffing will cause a significant reduction in elective activity. Where appropriate, urgent elective surgery (P1 and P2), Cardiac, Organ and Corneal transplant, cancer care (particularly for patients who have already been waiting over 62 days, or who are likely to pass day 62 if their appointment needs to be rescheduled), and long waiters should be the final cohorts to be rescheduled.
Can the NHS provide safe services during strikes?
The NHS is working hard to minimise the risk to patient safety. This means we will 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. BMA has said that during consultant strikes a Christmas day level of service will be provided, meaning emergency care will continue to be available. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where it is necessary and will rebook immediately, where possible. Unfortunately, these strikes will have a significant impact upon planned and routine care.
What will this mean for appointments?
During strike action we will prioritise emergency treatment and patients seeking urgent treatment will be seen. Unfortunately, this means we may have to prioritise emergency care over some routine appointments and procedures. Everyone who has an appointment should attend as planned, unless your local NHS provider has contacted you to reschedule. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment even if your Trust is affected by strikes.
When will I find out if my appointment is rescheduled?
The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. This is likely to be a text, phone call or a letter and you should be offered an alternative date for your appointment. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.
If my appointment is rescheduled, will I be put back to the bottom of the waiting list?
Any appointments that need to be rescheduled will be done so as a priority.
Will dentists be impacted?
The British Dental Association has advised that some of their members who work in hospitals on trainee contracts or as consultants will take action. However, the vast majority of dentists (those not based in hospitals) will not be impacted. Please continue to attend any dental appointments unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
Is there anything I should do now?
To avoid delays in getting your medicines or the risk of running out of medicines during strikes please order prescriptions in good time.
