Advice Issued By Local Health Trust Ahead of Strike

---

Junior doctors and consultants taking industrial action together

Accident and emergency units will remain open

September 29, 2023

A local hospital trust has issued guidance on how to access health services during the forthcoming strike by doctors.

From Monday 2 October to Thursday 5 October both junior doctors and consultants are taking industrial action in a dispute over pay.

The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs the West Middlesex Hospital, is stressing that it is important that people continue to seek help from the NHS when they need it, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases.

During the strikes, cover will be provided to staff emergency services as well as a small amount of cover on the wards.

Some non-urgent appointments and procedures are being rescheduled but if you have not been informed of a change you should attend your appointment as planned.

In a statement it says, “Both our sites—West Middlesex University Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital—will be very busy on these days, as fewer medical staff will be working. Some community-based clinics may also be affected.

“We have tried and tested plans in place to ensure we can provide safe urgent and emergency care for patients who need it.

“During this period, most of our sexual health clinics are expected to be open but some may run a reduced service. You will be notified if there are any changes to your appointment. Please contact your clinic if you need support and aren’t sure what to do.

“Our A&E departments will be very busy during the strikes so if you need medical care, but it is not an emergency, please consider other services including NHS 111, your GP or local pharmacy.

“This will help you get directed to the best care for your needs and ensure we can prioritise patients with the most urgent health needs.”

A reminder is given that pharmacists can help with minor health concerns and that GP surgeries should usually be the first point of contact if you have a health problem although these will be busier on strike days.

98% of British Medical Association (BMA) members voted recently for a six-month mandate for strike action.

Junior doctors have already staged six walkouts this year and one of the days in September saw the first time this was timed to coincide with action by consultants leading to what was described as a Christmas Day service.

The BMA, which represents around two thirds of doctors in this country, wants a 35% pay rise for junior doctors to compensate for what it says are 15 years of below-inflation wage rises.

BMA junior doctor committee co-chairmen Dr Rob Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said, "We are sending a single message, loud and clear to the government: 'we are not going anywhere'.

"We are prepared to continue with our industrial action, but we don't have to - the prime minister has the power to halt any further action by making us a credible offer."

The government has given junior doctors 6% plus £1,250, which works out at an average of nearly 9% and are unwilling to discuss further increases as this rise was determined by an independent pay review body.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said, "My door is always open to discuss how we can work together with NHS staff to improve their working lives, but this pay award is final, so I urge the BMA to call an end to this callous and calculated disruption".

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.