Hospital patients warned of delays and cancelled operations during two-day strike by consultants
UNDER PRESSURE: Hull Royal Infirmary
By Simon Bristow
Hospital patients are being warned to expect treatment delays and long waits in A&E when the second round of strikes by consultants begins on Thursday.
Senior doctor members of the British Medical Association will begin a two-day stoppage on Thursday, less than two weeks after a 96-hour strike by junior doctors ended.
Only a ‘Christmas Day’ level of consultant cover is being guaranteed, with hospital bosses needing to plan for the absence of some of the most senior clinical decision makers.
Simon Nearney, director of workforce for Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Any large-scale staff absence is going to cause disruption for our hospital patients and for overall business continuity.
“At the current time, we do not know how many consultants plan to take strike action, however we are already in the peak summer holiday period when it’s more difficult to secure extra staffing support due to annual leave.
“Recognising the doctors have a right to strike, our job is to make sure the most essential services, such as critical care, emergency care, neonatal and trauma services can continue to operate safely. This does, however, mean that some of our non-urgent and routine work will need to be rescheduled as we divert resources, so some patients will regrettably have to wait longer for their care or treatment.
“We are guaranteed a Christmas Day level of consultant cover, of course, but demands for emergency care in particular are likely to be much higher than we’d expect to see on Christmas Day. With the potential for more limited medical staffing therefore, we are expecting long waits in A&E again, and would encourage anyone needing medical advice or routine treatment to use community services such as their GP, pharmacy or local urgent treatment centre or contact NHS111.”
Some routine care including appointments and planned surgical procedures are being rescheduled as a result. Patients who are affected will be contacted directly to discuss and rearrange. Anyone with an appointment due to take place on either August 24 or 25 who does not hear from their hospital team should attend as planned.
Medical advice is available 24 hours a day through NHS111 online at 111.nhs.uk or by calling 111 free of charge.
A list of local pharmacies can be found on the NHS website, while walk-in care and treatment for minor injuries is available from the following centres across Hull and East Yorkshire, all of which are open late or round-the-clock:
Hull – Story Street walk-in centre
Bransholme – Urgent Treatment Centre within Bransholme Health Centre, Goodhart Road (open 24hrs)
Beverley – Urgent Treatment Centre within East Riding Community Hospital, Swinemoor Lane
Goole – Urgent Treatment Centre within Goole & District Hospital, Woodland Avenue
Bridlington – Urgent Treatment Centre within Bridlington Hospital (Entrance A), Bessingby Road