Junior doctors across Shropshire and England are preparing to strike tomorrow – with a full walkout planned as part of national industrial action in protest at the new contract Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is forcing on them.
The latest planned strike will be a full withdrawal of labour by junior doctors between 8am and 5pm on both Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 April. If the industrial action goes ahead, it will be the first time junior doctors have staged a full walkout and will not be providing emergency care across the county.
Contingency preparations are now underway across the NHS in Shropshire and the public have been advised to think carefully before using A&E.
Dr Julian Povey, Chair of Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It is more important than ever that the public choose their local doorstep services for the duration of the two days of industrial action.
“The public need to be aware that a full withdrawal of labour by junior doctors will place an increased demand on emergency services and, although doctors and staff will be on hand to manage this escalation, the public can help by only visiting Accident & Emergency if their situation is serious or life-threatening.
“The main priorities during this time will be to ensure patient safety while limiting inconvenience to the public as much as possible. But, like any service which is challenged, there may be longer waiting times in A&E as the hospital will be working to full capacity.”
The planned industrial action is set to last for 18 hours in total. It is strongly advised that the public consider alternatives to the emergency department and make full use of their local doorstep services such as their local GP or pharmacy.
GP surgeries will provide services as normal, but the local Accident & Emergency department will be extremely busy.
Some services that may be able to assist:
• Help and advice is available 24-hours-a-day by ringing NHS 111 (just dial 111) for free. Patients can also call the out-of-hours GP service, Shropdoc, when their own surgery is closed on 0333 222 66 55.
• Your local pharmacist can advise on lots of health issues. They are experts in medicines and minor illnesses and many have consultation rooms. Find your local pharmacist at www.nhs.uk
• Visit the NHS Choices website – www.nhs.uk/staywell
If an illness or injury is not serious, there are many local ‘Pharmacy First’ branches across Shropshire that operate a minor ailments service with specially trained experts who can advise on:
• Coughs and colds, including nasal congestion and sore throat
• Minor cuts and bruises
• Aches and pains, such as headaches, earache and back pain
A list of local participating ‘Pharmacy First’ branches can be found www.shropshireccg.nhs.uk
NHS Choices have an A-Z medical page, www.nhs.uk/Conditions which is useful for checking the early symptoms of a minor illness.
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