Hospitals prepare for 10th junior doctors’ strike

By Simon Bristow.

Hospital bosses have apologised for the “regrettable but necessary” postponement of operations or appointments as they prepare for the beginning of the tenth round of strikes by junior doctors this week.

Members of the BMA and HCSA unions will begin full walkouts from 7am on Saturday, February 24, as part of their long-running pay dispute with the Government.

The BMA stoppage will run until 11.59pm on Wednesday, February 28, while action by the HCSA will last longer, ending at 6.59am the following day.

Staff at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital have put plans in place to prepare for the strike, which does mean some patients will have their appointments or procedures postponed.

Staff will be contacting patients affected, but anyone with an appointment or procedure scheduled between February 24 and 29 should attend as planned if they have not been contacted.

Dr Kate Wood, group chief medical officer for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We appreciate that there will be some patients who are seeing their appointments with us postponed, perhaps not for the first time.

“We know just how frustrating this is and we’d like to extend our apologies to anyone affected.

“Stepping down some routine care is regrettable but necessary as it allows us to focus on the most seriously ill or injured of our patients, allowing us to keep urgent, emergency care and cancer care services running.

“This is the tenth junior doctors strike that we’ve seen so our staff are well rehearsed at putting plans in place to prepare, however we know that five or six days of industrial action will place further pressure on our already busy services.

“As with previous strikes we’d really appreciate the support of our local communities.

“GP surgeries and pharmacies are not affected by the strike and will remain open. NHS 111 staff are on hand to offer advice if you’re unwell and unsure where to turn.

“If you do need to come into one of our emergency departments please be mindful that we have fewer doctors on shift so be prepared to wait to be seen and please respect our staff who are in work who are doing their best to see and treat people as quickly as possible.”

Patients can also help themselves and others by:

• Ordering repeat prescriptions in plenty of time so they don’t run out of medication or other essential items.
• Avoiding hospital if suffering Norovirus-type symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting, or with cold or flu-like symptoms.
• Keeping a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home including painkillers, indigestion remedies and diarrhoea tablets.
• Using the NHS Emergency Prescription Service if a regular medication runs out completely.
• Taking up the offer of Covid and flu vaccinations where eligible.
• Familiarising themselves with nearby NHS services which can offer help both in and out-of-hours; these include all Walk-In and Urgent Treatment Centres and a number of local pharmacies. NHS111 remains available 24hrs a day for medical advice and signposting, online or over the phone.

Full details of alternative local healthcare services can be found here.