Dorset County Hospital prioritising urgent care during consultants strike
Another walk-out taking place today and tomorrow (24th and 25th August)
Urgent care is being prioritised at Dorset County Hospital over the next two days, as consultants carry out their latest strike action.
Members of the British Medical Association are walking out in a row over pay.
The industrial action begins at 7.00am today (Thursday 24th August), with staff returning at 7.00am on Saturday (26th August).
Health bosses at DCH say consultants are 'vital for patient care and the running of services' there.
But they're warned some treatments may be postponed to make sure emergency and inpatient care can continue safely.
Anyone affected by cancelled appointments will be contacted directly - so if you don't hear from them, you're asked to attend the hospital as planned.
There's also a plea for people to use services wisely:
"No-one should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strikes and people with serious, life-threatening conditions will continue to be seen at our Emergency Department (ED). However, please keep 999 and ED clear for life-threatening emergencies.
"Please visit NHS 111 online or call 111 for other urgent care needs."
That's a message that's being reiterated by the NHS across the South West.
Dr Kheelna Bavalia, NHS England South West Medical Director, said:
“The NHS is faced with significant disruption to routine care, coming at a time when the South West has an influx of holidaymakers and day-trippers. In addition the strikes take place ahead of the bank holiday and we are even busier than usual with residents and visitors getting out and about.
“We are also seeing colleagues take annual leave, and staff sickness within some Trusts, so teams are already stretched.
“We are asking people to continue to use 999 in life-threatening emergencies and NHS 111 online for other health concerns. GP services and pharmacies are also available for patients and can be accessed in the normal way.
“Patients who haven’t been contacted or informed that their planned appointment has been postponed are also urged to attend as normal.”
NHS national medical director for secondary care Dr Vin Diwakar said:
“This latest action will again hit the NHS hard, with almost all routine care being affected.
“We are working closely with unions to ensure we prioritise urgent and emergency care for patients, but there is no doubt that it becomes harder each time to bring routine services back on track following strikes, and the cumulative effect after nearly nine months for patients, staff and the NHS as a whole is enormous.”