UK

Risk of cancelled appointments and long waits during junior doctor strikes


Abigail Beaney
Mon, 3 April 2023 

NHS junior doctors on the picket line outside the Maidstone Hospital in Maidstone, Kent. (Image: PA)

Appointments may be cancelled and patients may be waiting longer than normal as junior doctors will be striking for 96 hours in East Lancashire next week.

East Lancashire Hospital Trust has warned patients that they may experience disruption to services next week during planned industrial action by the British Medical Association and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association.

Junior doctors are set to strike from 7am on Tuesday, April 11 until 7am on Saturday, April 15 in a dispute with the government over pay.


East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which provides services across a range of settings including Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, Burnley General Teaching Hospital, Clitheroe Community Hospital, Pendle Community Hospital and Accrington Victoria Community Hospital, is trying to minimise disruption and will continue to provide essential services.

Despite this, the trust has warned that some planned appointments and procedures may be cancelled and that cancellations could be at late notice.

Lancashire Telegraph: Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital

Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital

The trust has also said there may be longer waits to be seen than usual.

Executive director of Integrated Care, Partnerships and Resilience, Tony McDonald said: "Our number one priority is to ensure that those in greatest need continue to have access to high quality care during the industrial action.

"We are doing everything we can to minimise disruption but there is no doubt that some services will be impacted and the industrial action is set to take place immediately after the Easter bank holiday, which is always a very busy time for the Trust.

"If you have an appointment at any of our hospitals, please assume this is going ahead - if we need to rearrange any appointments or procedures, we will contact you directly to let you know.

"Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases, when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

"Please help us by thinking about the most appropriate service for your need - if it is not life threatening or an emergency, use NHS 111 online or call 111 and a clinician will be able to advise what to do."

Dr David Levy, medical director of NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said: “We ask people to continue to use services wisely during industrial action and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to those who need it most.

"If you need health advice on a day of strike action, but it is not an emergency, try NHS 111 Online and a clinician will call you back if needed. Please continue to only use 999 or A&E in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

“During strike action we will 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.

"We will only cancel appointments and procedures where it is necessary and will reschedule immediately, where possible. The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled. If you have not been contacted, please attend your appointment as planned.

“The public’s support during previous periods of industrial action has been invaluable and we are immensely grateful to them for continuing to use NHS services appropriately during these times of pressure.”

Communities are being encouraged to think ahead to the Easter weekend and industrial action to ensure that should they order repeat prescriptions, that they do this in plenty of time and that should a friend or relative need picking up after a hospital discharge, that this is done as early as possible to free up beds.

More information can be found on the Trust's website elht.nhs.uk or through their social media profiles on Facebook and Twitter.