Key Summary
- Patients have been told to attend their appointments unless contacted otherwise
- The public has been advised to use 111 online as the first port of call for urgent but not life-threatening issues
- GP practices will continue to be open and urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available for those who need them
With thousands of resident doctors going on strike for five days from Wednesday (17), the NHS is urging people not to avoid seeking care and get vaccinated against flu.
The industrial action will last till 7 am on Monday (22), and hospital teams are working hard to minimise disruption for patients.
This will be the 14th round of strikes from resident doctors since March 2023, resulting in 59 days of disruption to NHS services.
Resident doctors, previously named junior doctors, make up around half of all doctors in the NHS.
NHS England’s National Medical Director Professor Meghana Pandit said, “These strikes come at an immensely challenging time for the NHS, with record numbers of patients in hospital with flu for this time of year."
The NHS teams have put in place plans to provide life-saving care, while ensuring that routine care and scheduled operations do take place.
Patients have been told to attend their appointments unless contacted otherwise, while issuing an “urgent plea” for people to get vaccinated in time to protect themselves over the New Year.
The NHS is offering free flu jabs in community pop-up clinics, such as Christmas markets, shopping centres and sports matches, as well as in schools.
The latest data shows that 451,275 flu vaccines were delivered in the first week of December and more than 17.4 million flu vaccines have been delivered so far this year.
During the strikes, there may be fewer doctors working than usual, and they will need to prioritise life-saving care so less urgent cases may experience longer waits during strikes, the NHS said.
GP practices will continue to be open and urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available for those who need them.
The public has been advised to use 111 online as the first port of call for urgent but not life-threatening issues during industrial action.
Patients who need emergency medical care should continue to use 999 or come forward to A&E.
Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said, “The NHS has been going all out to ensure as many people as possible are protected against flu and we’ve seen a great response from the public, with tens of thousands getting their jabs over the last week."
The NHS is also asking the public to look after themselves, loved ones, and check in on vulnerable family members and neighbours.
The British Medical Association (BMA) had earlier announced that the resident doctors had rejected a new offer from the government.
The BMA said 83 percent of resident doctors rejected the government's offer in an online survey with a 65 percent turnout of its more than 50,000 members.
Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said, “It is bitterly disappointing that the BMA has rejected this offer and chosen to continue with hugely disruptive strikes. These strikes come at the worst possible time, with rapidly rising flu levels putting huge strain on hospitals.
“Despite NHS leaders working incredibly hard to prepare for these strikes, we are concerned that if resident doctors walk out during a record flu surge it could put patient safety at risk.
"We would urge the BMA to recognise these strikes are disproportionate given the generous pay rises resident doctors have already had, call them off and moderate their demands so a solution to this long-running dispute can be found.”
