For the first time since the pay dispute with the government began at the start of the year, consultants, junior doctors and radiographers will be taking industrial action at the same time.
Consultants who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) and junior doctors who are members of the BMA and HCSA (Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association) are set to take industrial action from 7am on Monday 2 October until 7am on Thursday 5 October. Radiographers who are members of the Society of Radiographers (SoR) will also go on strike for 24 hours from 8am on Tuesday 3 October meaning that consultants, junior doctors and radiographers will be on strike together for 24 hours.
Throughout the upcoming period of industrial action, we expect to see longer wait times in our emergency departments for anything that isn’t life or limb threatening. We are urging you to help us keep our emergency departments free for those who need us most. Please consider which service is best for your illness or injury, whether that is by visiting your local pharmacy, an urgent treatment centre or checking online at 111.nhs.uk.
During the strikes, junior doctors and consultants have agreed to provide 'Christmas Day’ levels of cover. This would ensure that emergency care would continue to be provided, but elective or non-emergency work would need to be cancelled. As with other strikes, NHS England will continue to provide guidance as to staffing and service planning and reporting.
We are now entering the tenth month of industrial action across the NHS and staff continue to work hard to provide patients with the best possible care under the circumstances. Industrial action has impacted approx. 885,154 hospital appointments across the NHS.
Kevin Harris, Medical Director for the medicine division at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“It is important to only come into our emergency departments if you require life or limb threatening treatment. Please consider using alternative services such as pharmacies, GPs, urgent treatment centres, or contact 111.
“We understand that it is frustrating for those affected by the difficult decision to cancel appointments in relation to this action. We appreciate your understanding and patience with us. Our staff are working extremely hard to provide patients with the best possible care under these circumstances.
“It is estimated that industrial action has impacted more than a million hospital appointments across the NHS. We are asking the public for patience as we work as quickly as we can to get services back on track, but this will take time.”
The previous round of industrial action by consultants last month saw 45,800 appointments disrupted and around 6,000 staff off per day due to industrial action.
