Please help your local NHS by keeping Emergency Departments free for those who need them most during the junior doctor strikes which start this Saturday.
Junior doctors who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HSCA) are due to take part in industrial action for the tenth time since the dispute over pay with the government began. Junior doctors will go on strike from 7am on Saturday 24 February until 11:59 on Wednesday 28 February. We are anticipating that our hospitals and Emergency Departments are going to be very busy and are therefore asking people to help us help you, by choosing the right service for your needs.
Junior doctors have gone on strike for 34 days since last March, in 10 separate stoppages lasting between three and six days each.
This is also the last period of strike action by the junior doctors before they vote on whether to hold further strikes. The current legal mandate for strike action expires on 29 February. If junior doctors vote in favour of extending their mandate period, they will be able to take further strike action from 3 April 2024 to 19 September 2024.
Patient safety remains our absolute priority and therefore, we continue to work with partners across the Hampshire and Isle of Wight health and care system to ensure that people who require access to services receive care and treatment in as timely a way as possible. Your local NHS will support you to get the right care, at the right place, at the right time.
If you have an urgent medical problem and you are not sure what to do, visit 111 online at 111.nhs.uk. Urgent Treatment Centres and pharmacies are equipped to deal with minor injuries, such as cuts or sprains. Please only go to a hospital’s Emergency Department for life-threatening accidents and emergencies.
If you have a minor injury such as a sprain, a minor head injury, cuts and grazes or minor scalds and burns, you can be treated at one of our Urgent Treatment Centres and Minor Injuries Units.
Our Urgent Treatment Centres and Minor Injuries Units can be found in the following locations:
- Andover
- Gosport
- St Marys, Isle of Wight
- Lymington
- Petersfield
- St Mary’s Portsmouth
- Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton
Details of pharmacies and Urgent Treatment Centres can be found here.
Patients with appointments booked on strike days will be contacted by the NHS if their appointment needs to be rescheduled due to industrial action. If you have not been contacted, you should attend your appointment as planned.
You can also download the Healthier Together app for advice if you have children or carer responsibilities. The app can help you decide whether you can self-care at home or if you need help, which service is best for the needs of children aged up to 18. It also provides advice and guidance for pregnant women.
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.
Dr Lara Alloway, Chief Medical Officer for NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight said:
“We are so grateful to our public who have supported their local NHS so well during the previous strike action by choosing carefully which NHS service to access and we ask that they do that again this coming weekend.
“You can help by taking simple steps during industrial action to look after yourselves, your loved ones and to check in on vulnerable family members and neighbours.
“There are also a number of services that aren’t affected by the strike action such as pharmacies, urgent treatment centres (UTCs), Healthier Together and 111 online. By using one of these services it allows our teams in our emergency departments to attend to those patients who need urgent care and attention.
“No one should put off seeking help in an emergency during the strike action, however we are urging people to only attend our Emergency Departments if it is a life or limb threatening situation.
“If you have an appointment during the industrial action, then please continue to attend as planned unless you have been contacted to reschedule.
“We are working closely with our partners across the counties to plan, prepare and mitigate the potential impact and patient care remains our top priority. We are working hard to ensure that we continue to deliver the best level of care possible and thank you for your help and understanding.”
For more information on local health services and getting the right care for your needs, please click here.