The British Medical Association (BMA) representing resident doctors have informed the NHS that its members will be taking industrial action beginning at 7am on Friday 25 July until 7am on Wednesday 30 July.
The NHS in Hertfordshire and west Essex will be working hard to keep people safe during the planned strikes, while delivering the best care possible.
Resident doctors make up around half of all doctors in the NHS. Resident doctors are qualified doctors who have anywhere up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice. They were previously known as junior doctors.
During these strikes, other doctors (including consultants and other specialist doctors) will still be working. However, the disruption to staffing may mean some appointments and procedures may need to be rescheduled.
The NHS is also asking the public to play their part during industrial action to look after themselves, loved ones and checking in on vulnerable family members and neighbours. We have outlined below some actions you can take to help keep people save and make best use of NHS services.
Routine appointments
If you have an appointment, please continue to come forward for the care you need. Please don’t call to check if your appointment is going ahead. You will be contacted directly if your appointment needs to be rearranged.
Urgent and emergency care
During strike action local NHS services 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.
No-one should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strikes and people with serious and life-threatening conditions will continue to be seen at our Emergency Departments. However, please make sure you think very carefully about what services you contact.
If it is not serious or life-threatening, then please contact NHS 111.
At NHS 111 online your symptoms will be assessed, and you will be provided with healthcare advice or an appointment to see a doctor or nurse if this is needed. NHS 111 can also send an ambulance and can book an appointment for you in some services.
Call handling teams will be very busy. Anyone with non-urgent care should first seek help from either a pharmacy or NHS 111 online.
Local Pharmacy
Going to your local pharmacy offers an easy and convenient way to get clinical advice on minor health concerns, and now community pharmacies can offer treatment for seven common conditions without patients needing to see a GP, as part of a major transformation in the way the NHS delivers care.
Local pharmacies can now assess and treat patients for earache, impetigo, infected insect bites, shingles, sinusitis, sore throat, urinary tract infections (UTIs) for women aged 16-64 – without the need for a GP appointment or prescription. They can also advise if another NHS service is needed. Visit the NHS website for more information or search find a pharmacy for information about your nearest pharmacy opening times.
You can look after very minor illnesses or injuries yourself with support from pharmacies and over-the-counter medicine. You can buy basic essentials like paracetamol, ibuprofen, plasters, antiseptic cream, allergy medicine and indigestion remedies from pharmacies and supermarkets for less than the cost of a prescription. Remember, cheaper non-branded versions of medicines work just as well as branded products.
You can find a list of pharmacies by using the ‘Find a Pharmacy’ tool on the NHS website.
GP practices
GP practices will continue to be open during the resident doctors strike. Please continue to attend your GP unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
GP practices might be busier as a result as a result of the strike action so please be mindful of the extra pressure on staff and continue to treat them with kindness and respect.
GP phone lines are likely to be even busier than normal, so please be patient as practice staff try to help as many people as they can. If you have a computer or smartphone, you can use the NHS App or your GP practice’s e-consultation service, which directs your query quickly to the right member of practice staff and helps free up the telephone lines for those who aren’t online.