Patients warned over hospital strikes impact

Hospital patients in Sunderland are being warned they may face disruption next week if a strike by junior doctors goes ahead.
By Tom Patterson
Published 5th Apr 2023, 22:27 GMT
Sunderland Royal Hospital.Sunderland Royal Hospital.
Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Trust leaders in the region say they are concerned about the impact of the four days of industrial action from the British Medical Association (BMA) which will see hundreds of junior doctors unavailable to work from 7am on Tuesday, April 11, until 7am on Saturday, April 15.

This planned strike is the longest single period of industrial action affecting the NHS to date and NHS chiefs say it will affect every hospital in the North East.

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They are also concerned that it will follow a four-day Bank Holiday weekend and take place during the school Easter holidays – when more staff are likely to be on leave and unable to step in to support hospital services, as they did last time.

In a statement issued through the region’s Provider Collaborative, NHS Foundation Trusts in the region said: “The prospect of not having junior doctors available for 96 hours will have an inevitable and noticeable impact on the quality of care we can provide.

“It is incumbent on us to be very clear with the public about the scale of the impact and knock on consequences.”

Hospitals say patients will likely face longer waits at urgent and emergency care units and if they need to be admitted.

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They also warn that there will be disruption to planned care and appointments.

They say:

*If you are seriously ill or injured, or your life is at risk, you should continue to seek emergency care in the usual way – call 999 or attend

the Emergency Department.

*If you need urgent medical help or advice or if you are unsure about whether you should go to hospital, go to NHS 111 online (www.111.nhs.uk) first. If you do not have internet access then dial 111 for free from any phone. Please do not turn up to hospital without using 111 first.

*If you need urgent mental health support, you can get 24/7 access to local crisis teams via the Mental Health Helpline for Urgent Help – NHS

(www.nhs.uk).

* If you have a planned appointment between April 11 and April 15, please attend. The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled.

Related topics:PatientsHospitalSunderlandNHSNorth East