The British Medical Association (BMA) have announced junior doctors will take strike action from 7am on Saturday 24 February until 23:59pm on Wednesday 28 February.
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 1.3 million hospital appointments across the NHS.
The previous round of industrial action by junior doctors in January saw over 113,000 hospital appointments disrupted and at least 23,000 staff absent day on weekdays, and over 8,000 on weekends 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 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:
- From 07:00 on Saturday 24 February to 23:59 on Wednesday 28 February junior doctors will be taking strike action
- Hospital Consultants and Specialists Assoc (HCSA) has announced that their junior doctor members will be on strike from 06:59 on Saturday 24 February until shifts starting after 0700 on Thursday 29 February.
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 if I need urgent or emergency care?
Anyone who needs urgent care should use NHS111 online to be assessed and directed to the right care for them. If you do not have internet access, then 111 helpline is available. When someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk, you should seek emergency care in the normal way, by calling 999.
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. 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.
Will emergency care be affected on strike days?
Emergency care will continue to be available across all parts of the country. It is really important that in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill, or their life is at risk patients continue to come forward as normal.
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.
Should I cancel my appointment on the day of strikes?
No, if we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.
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.
I have a loved one who will be a hospital inpatient on strike day – how will their care be affected?
All hospital inpatients will be informed of how their care will be impacted on a ward-by-ward basis by the staff involved in delivering their care.
Will GP services be affected on strike days?
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.
Will dentists be impacted?
Please continue to attend any dental appointments unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
