As resident doctors across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire plan for industrial action, patients and the public are being reassured that help will remain available for those in need, but that disruption to normal service is likely.
The latest round of strikes by junior doctors, including many working at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, the Great Western Hospital in Swindon and Salisbury District Hospital, is set to begin at 7am on Friday 14 November.
Expected to last until 7am on Wednesday 19 November, the industrial action is likely to cause significant disruption to routine services, such as outpatient appointments, pre-planned operations and day surgery cases.
Urgent and emergency care services will continue as normal for those in need, but to ensure teams can focus on people who are most unwell, the public are being asked to choose wisely and to only visit hospital when there is a genuine need to do so.
Gill May, Chief Nursing Officer, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, said: “Although the NHS has tried and tested plans in place to limit disruption, we do need our public to get behind us and show their support, as they have done so supportively during the many previous rounds of industrial action.
“When people in need of help choose the service that’s right for their needs – be it NHS 111, a community pharmacy or simply following the advice on the NHS website – it not only helps them to receive care quicker, but enables our busy frontline teams to prioritise patients with the most urgent and pressing symptoms.
“As always, we remain incredibly grateful for all the support we receive during these challenging periods, and offer our thanks to people showing respect and kindness to not only our hard-working hospital teams, but also those in other parts of the NHS, such as GP practices, who will be equally busy throughout the duration of these upcoming strikes.”
Patients who had been intending to visit hospital during the strike, either for an appointment or planned treatment, will be contacted at the earliest opportunity if their care needs to be rescheduled.
People with appointments who have not been contacted are encouraged to attend as normal, as teams will be working hard to keep as many routine services as possible running during the strikes.
Dr Kathryn Bateman, Chief Medical Officer, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Although we have been planning for several weeks, as with previous industrial action by resident doctors, we expect hospital services to be very busy throughout the strike and in the period immediately after.
“To help us provide care to those who are in the most serious or life-threatening conditions, we ask the public to use the local health service wisely, including community pharmacists and minor injuries units.
“We also ask that families with relatives in hospital plan early for any support their loved one may need when they are back home, as this can help to speed up their discharge journey, which in turn frees up valuable beds for new patients, and supports us in delivering safe care to our communities.”
Community pharmacies, which can provide people with advice on medicines, as well as help for minor illnesses without the need for an appointment, will be open as normal throughout the duration of the strikes, as will NHS 111.
The online service – available at www.111.nhs.uk – can provide real-time guidance on how to care for a wide range of health and care conditions, as well as signpost people to nearby in-person help, should it be required.
Further information on all local health and care services can be found online at www.bsw.icb.nhs.uk.
