Nurses strike: Outpatient services at Salisbury Hospital could be affected
Ambulance workers are also walking out in a row over pay
Members of the Royal College of Nursing are on strike in the South West once again today and tomorrow (Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th Feburary).
That will include staff at Salisbury District Hospital, with bosses there explaining how services might be affected.
They've said 'safe staffing levels' will be in place for all inpatients, as well as maintaining critical services.
The A&E department will remain functional, along with the Maternity ward.
But outpatient clinics and planned surgeries might be unable to go ahead as scheduled.
Any patients that are directly impacted will be contacted, but if you're not contacted, assume your appointment is going ahead.
There's also a plea to anyone using the hospital during the strike action:
"We would ask anyone that attends the hospital during the two days of industrial action to please be aware that staff might be stretched and to be prepared to wait a little longer or have appointments delayed."
Ambulance workers with the GMB Union are also striking today (Monday 6th February), between 6.00am and midnight.
A picket line's being set up at Salisbury Ambulance Station on Odstock Road throughout the day.
Paul Birkett-Wendes, Wiltshire County Commander for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT), said:
“As we look ahead to industrial action on Monday and on Friday 10 February, we are again asking for the public’s support. Please only call 999 for life-threatening emergencies, because we absolutely must have crews available for those, and we will be prioritising these patients first. “This means there will be other patients waiting for an ambulance, and we will get to them as soon as we can. We are sorry that we may be unable to respond to them as quickly as we would like.
“If you are waiting for an ambulance, please do not call back asking for an estimated time of arrival. We cannot provide this information and it blocks our lines for other callers. “Please be reassured that we are doing all we can to manage winter pressures and the upcoming industrial action.”
Health bosses in Wiltshire are reminding people that if they need urgent care during the industrial action, it is still available, and to please use it.
There's also a reminder that GP services are not affected.
Dr Amanda Webb, Chief Medical Officer at Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board said:
“While the industrial action planned for next week is likely to cause disruption, we would like to assure people that local services are open and anyone needing medical help should come forward as normal.
We would like to pass on our thanks to local people for using services sensibly during previous periods of industrial action and are appealing to them, once again, to help during this difficult time by only using ambulance and A&E services if they really need to do so.”