Industrial Action: please attend appointments as normal | Latest news

NHS organisations in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are urging people to attend appointments as normal unless they are contacted during this week's junior doctors’ strike.

The strike – the third taken by junior doctors – started at 7am today and runs until 7am on Saturday (17 June).

April's strike – which ran for four days – saw 195,000 cancellations and 27,361 staff not at work across England.

NHS bosses are reassuring people that many appointments will still go ahead, despite disruption to services.

Dr David Selwyn, Medical Director, Sherwood Forest Hospital Trust, said: “Junior doctors play a vital role in helping us deliver all aspects of healthcare across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

"Because they make up nearly half of our medical workforce, it is inevitable that there will be disruption during this industrial action. As we need to prioritise our emergency and in-patient pathways this may mean that patients have more planned care appointments rescheduled, for which we apologise. If this occurs, we will re-arrange these appointments for you, as soon as possible.

“Please attend your appointments unless you are contacted. If industrial action means your appointment has to be cancelled, your hospital, GP or other provider will directly contact you to make alternative arrangements.”

Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s Chief Executive, Ifti Majid, added: “I hugely value the vital contribution our junior doctors make and respect their legal right to take industrial action. I hope that a resolution will be found very soon.

“Throughout the junior doctor strikes, our focus is to maintain patient safety. As with previous industrial action, our teams have developed robust plans to mitigate the impact on our services and we are doing all we can to ensure safe and compassionate care. It is important that people continue to attend their appointments, unless they have been notified that they have been cancelled.”

How the public can help use healthcare resources as best as possible:

• Please use A&E or call 999 if you have life-threatening illness or injury. 
• If your relative is due to be discharged from hospital and needs to be collected, please do what you can to help. This will help free-up a hospital bed for someone waiting to be admitted.
• The quickest way to receive help is via NHS111 online, but you can also use your GP, pharmacy or Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC): pharmacies can treat common illnesses, such as stings and allergies; UTCs can treat injuries such as sprains, strains, suspected fractures, bites, cuts, scalds, and other non-life-threatening conditions. Waiting times are usually much shorter than A&E. We have UTCs at:
  • Ilkeston Community Hospital – 8am–8pm. Heanor Road, Ilkeston, DE7 8LN. Book in via 111.
• • Nottingham's NHS Urgent Care Centre (next to the BBC building) – 7am–7pm – Seaton House, London Road, NG2 4LA, Tel: 0115 883 8500. No appointment necessary.
  • Newark Hospital – 9am-10pm (last admission 9.30pm)  –Boundary Road, NG24 4DE