The British Medical Association (BMA) has advised that they are taking industrial action for six days from 07:00 on Wednesday 3 January until 06:59am on Tuesday 9 January 2024. As a result, a number of BMA members will be on strike on these days. This includes trainee doctors that work in GP practices. Please be aware that this may mean that less appointments are available on these days, but we are doing all we can to maintain access to care for our patients.
Please attend your appointment as normal unless you are contacted and told otherwise. We may experience a higher volume of calls and contact from patients making enquiries than usual during these dates, please bear with us and be patient during this time. We apologise for any inconvenience, please be kind to our colleagues when you speak to them.
Patients are being reminded that their local NHS is here for them to receive urgent and emergency care during the industrial action – but are being asked to support NHS staff by using services wisely and attending appointments as planned.
Here’s how you can help your NHS during planned industrial action:
- Continue to come forward if you need urgent medical care, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases. Your NHS is here for you when you need it – especially if you or your loved ones become seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.
- To help your NHS to focus on patients who need emergency care most, please only call 999 or attend A&E departments for serious accidents and genuine emergencies.
- If your relative is due to be discharged from hospital and needs to be collected, please do whatever you can to help bring them home as early as possible. This will help hospital teams to free-up a hospital bed for someone waiting to be admitted.
- Please consider the full range of NHS services that are available to you. When you need urgent medical attention but it’s not an emergency, alternative support is available by visiting NHS111 online or by calling 111.
- Pharmacies can also offer over-the-counter advice and treat common illnesses such as colds, sore throats, stings and allergies.
