Advice to Patients Ahead of Four Day Strike by Junior Doctors

You should not delay seeking medical care if you need it during the strike period, but please use services responsibly.

 

The BMA have announced junior doctors strikes across the country running from 7.00am on Tuesday 11 April until 7.00am on Saturday 15 April. This is four days of strikes coming immediately after a four day bank holiday weekend. The days leading into and immediately after bank holiday weekends are already challenging for the NHS.

 

Junior doctors make around half of all doctors in the NHS. Junior doctors are qualified doctors who have anywhere up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.

 

A huge amount of work is going on across the Trust, with our NHS partners across North Central London, London wide and nationally to ensure that robust contingency plans are in place to ensure that we can continue to keep our patients safe and to provide care to those who require it during the strike period.

 

We have had to take the difficult decision to cancel all non-urgent planned care and outpatient appointments (unless it is unsafe to do so) during the strike period in order to ensure that sufficient medical cover is available where it is required to safely care for current inpatients and those who require urgent unplanned care.

 

All affected patients have been contacted by telephone, letter or SMS message to let patients know about the changes to their appointment. Importantly, if you have not been contacted should attend as booked. 

 

We are also anticipating longer than usual waiting times in our Emergency Department. If you need urgent care but where it isn't immediately life threatening to please ‘help us to help you’ by visiting 111.nhs.uk or calling111 before coming to A&E so you can be directed to the most appropriate service to receive the care you need with the shortest wait. If life is

 

For less serious health worries local pharmacists are highly trained medical professionals who can provide advice and guidance on the best over the counter and self-care remedies. You can find a pharmacy near you that is open by clicking here. 

 

You can also contact your GP surgery which should be open throughout the strike.

 

Speaking to the local community, Dr Clare Dollery, Medical Director for Whittington Health NHS Trust said: “We want the public to know that if they need the NHS during the strike, the NHS will be there for them. However, there is no doubt that we are expecting severe disruption to services, so we are asking people to use services appropriately and when it is urgent but not life threatening to think 111 first.”

 

We are not a party to the dispute between the union and the Government. It is our hope that both sides can find a solution as soon as possible. In an email to all staff send ahead of the first two day strike by junior Doctors last month, Helen Brown, CEO of Whittington Health NHS Trust  acknowledged that junior doctors who are taking part in the strike action have not taken the decision to do so lightly, thanked staff for their extraordinary teamwork and commitment to patients and  expressed a "heartfelt hope  that a resolution can be found that is acceptable to all sides as soon as possible”.