With the news that junior doctors will take part in a 72-hour strike between 14 June 7am -17 June 7am read on for guidance during this time.
Resources are being prioritised to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and precedence will be given to people who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.
Appointments and procedures will only be rescheduled where necessary and will rebook immediately, where possible. Unfortunately, these strikes will have a significant impact upon planned and routine care.
You are asked to choose services appropriately during industrial action and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to those who need it most. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs, and only using 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.
You should take advice from 111/999 call-handlers on whether there are circumstances where it is suitable for them to make their own way to hospital. During strike days, it is likely 999 call handlers will be busy. 111 call centres will have fewer staff, with longer call response times expected across the system. As a result, anyone with non-urgent care needs to first seek help from NHS 111 online.
If you have not been contacted by the NHS, you can attend your appointment as planned. The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action.
GP practices will continue to be open during the junior doctors’ strike. You should continue to attend GP and dental appointments, 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.
The advice if you're travelling to other areas during the strike is to:
