Cheltenham A&E department to temporarily close
Emergency care services are being centralised at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
Cheltenham's accident and emergency department will close from 8am tomorrow (22/2) until February 29.
The temporary closure is to help NHS services to prepare for the industrial action by junior doctors.
Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) will walkout on Saturday (24/2) for 5 days. The NHS has warned that the latest round of strikes will pose substantial challenges to hospital services and the impact will be felt for well over a week.
Patients should go to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital during the closure. But the NHS warns people should only use this services if their condition is very serious or life threatening.
Patients who have a planned hospital appointments between Saturday 24 February and Thursday 29 February should attend as usual unless they hear from their NHS Trust to advise otherwise.
However, many appointments will need to be rearranged.
Chief Medical Officer, at NHS Gloucestershire, Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram (Raghu), said: "The latest round of strikes will bring substantial challenges to the local NHS, particularly hospital services, and we are sorry that many patients will experience disruption to services.
"We cannot emphasise enough how important it will be to keep A&E at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital clear for life-threatening conditions and serious injuries.
"The public can help by thinking carefully about their healthcare options and getting advice when needed from NHS 111.”