North Yorkshire hospital bosses reassure patients as junior doctors go out on strike
Members of the BMA are holding a three day walkout
Hospitals in North Yorkshire are bracing for a difficult few days as junior doctors go on strike during one of the busiest periods of the year.
Members of the British Medical Association are locked in a row with the Government over pay.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
In a statement the trust said: 'We understand this may cause our patients and their families to worry about how services will be delivered during this period. The safety of our patients is our primary concern and we have developed plans for the proposed action and its impact on our services, patients and staff. We are working hard to prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.
Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and any postponed appointments will be re-arranged as a priority. We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is important to know that people with life-threatening or severe illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and come forward as normal.
For people who require medical assistance and are considering visiting our Emergency Department, unless it’s a life-threatening or a severe illness or injury, we would ask that they contact NHS 111 first either by calling or going online https://111.nhs.uk/. The NHS will help them right away and if they need urgent care, they can be seen quickly and safely.
If you attend our Emergency Department when your condition is not serious or life-threatening, you may be asked to go elsewhere to seek support or you may have a very long wait for treatment. For more information on when to go to A&E, please visit the NHS UK website.
Thank you for your understanding.'
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
In a statement the trust said: 'The planned junior doctor strike is likely to have an impact, although other doctors, including consultants and other specialist doctors, will still be working.
'During the industrial action, we will be prioritising urgent and emergency treatment to protect patient safety and ensure those in life-saving emergencies can receive the best possible care. It is vital that people do not put off seeking medical attention and patients can continue to access care from our emergency departments.
'The disruption to staffing means we have postponed some appointments and procedures over the period of industrial action, which we will be re-arranging as a priority. We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
'Anyone with an appointment should continue to attend as planned unless they have been contacted to rearrange.
'It is even more important people choose services appropriately during industrial action and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most. This includes using 111 online as the first port, and only using 999 if it is a serious or life-threatening emergency. GP practices will continue to be open during the junior doctors’ strike, so please continue to attend your appointment unless you are contacted and told otherwise. For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E, you can visit the NHS UK website.'
What do the Government say?
In a statement the Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said:
“I want to assure patients that we have taken significant contingency measures to reduce the disruption these strikes will cause.
“But we know that despite these measures and the hard work of NHS staff, these strikes can cause significant disruption to patients and add extra pressure on the NHS.
“We have consistently acted reasonably, and that approach has led to offers being put to members of the consultant and specialist doctor unions.
“My door remains open should the BMA Junior Doctors Committee cancel these disruptive strikes and come back to the negotiating table as we were making good progress.”