"The NHS remains open for you" - NHS England urges patients to not delay seeking treatment as Hampshire hospitals get ready to face six-day resident doctor strike
As Hampshire hospitals get ready for a six-day resident doctor strike the NHS is urging people not to be put off from seeking medical care.
Resident doctors will strike from 7am on Tuesday, April 7 until 6.59am on Monday, April 13 after the British Medical Association rejected the latest pay offer from the government.
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) which runs Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham states it has “tried and tested” plans in place to protect safe patient care. While it is utilising resources to minimise cancellations anyone whose appointment is affected will be contacted directly.
NHS England has said they expect this round of strikes to be particularly challenging to services due to the short notice of it and due to it coming off the back of a bank holiday during the Easter break.
However, it has advised people to attend appointments as usual unless told otherwise with GP surgeries, NHS 111 and emergency care services continuing to be available.
Professor Ramani Moonesinghe, National Clinical Director for Critical and Perioperative Care at NHS England, said: “Staff across the NHS will be doing everything they can this week to keep patients safe and ensure people can continue to get the care they need.
"We know this round of industrial action will be difficult, coming straight after the Easter weekend, but patients should come forward as normal and attend any appointments unless they are contacted otherwise.
"The NHS remains open for you this week – as ever, please call 999 or come to A&E in an emergency, and use 111 online first if you need urgent but not life-threatening help."
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: "It is disappointing for patients and staff alike that the BMA has decided to press ahead with strikes this week, despite the deal we put to them which would have seen resident doctors 35.2 per cent better off, on average, than they were four years ago.
“My attention and that of leaders across the NHS is now on protecting patients and staff by minimising disruption to the health service.
“Thanks to the dedication of talented NHS staff, the health service delivered almost 95 per cent of planned activity during December strikes, and I want to reassure patients that the NHS will be there for you when you need it this time too. My heartfelt thanks go out to all those hard at work this week.”
In response BMA Resident doctors' committee chair Dr Jack Fletcher said: "The Health Secretary may well be ‘disappointed,’ but he is failing to acknowledge a deal was taking shape until his government quietly watered it down, reducing the money on the table, then stretching what was left over too many years to make it worthwhile.
“Resident doctors are as keen as he is to bring an end to the strikes, but his government needs to put an offer on the table that we can accept and which doesn’t change at the last minute. He also needs to stop using our next generation of consultants as a bargaining chip - taking away 1000 posts when patients and the NHS needs senior doctors for the future.”
"We know that strikes bring disruption - despite NHS England’s assurances that it can maintain the vast majority of services running for patients during times of industrial action. Many senior doctors will be covering for us and whilst that of course benefits patients, we know they are also exhausted and as demoralised as we are.
"We are willing to bring an end to industrial action, but we are not seeing that willingness from Government so far."