26 June 2024

Please help your local NHS by keeping Emergency Departments free for those who need them most during the junior doctor strikes which start this Thursday.

Junior doctors who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) are due to take part in industrial action for the eleventh time. Junior doctors will go on strike from 7am on Thursday 27 June until 7am on Tuesday 2 July. We are anticipating that our hospitals and Emergency Departments may be busy and are therefore asking people to help us help you, by choosing the right service for your needs.

Patient safety remains our absolute priority and we continue to work closely with our partners across the Hampshire and Isle of Wight health and care system to ensure that people who require access to services receive care and treatment in as timely a way as possible. Your local NHS will support you to get the right care, at the right place, at the right time.

If you have an urgent medical problem and you are not sure what to do, visit 111 online at 111.nhs.uk. Pharmacy first means that your local pharmacy can now treat seven common conditions from sinusitis to a sore throat to an infected insect bite while our Urgent Treatment Centres are equipped to deal with minor injuries, such as cuts, sprains or minor burns and can be found in the following locations:

  • Andover
  • Gosport
  • St Marys, Isle of Wight
  • Lymington
  • Petersfield
  • St Mary’s Portsmouth
  • Royal South Hants Hospital, Southampton

Further details of pharmacies and Urgent Treatment Centres can be found here.

Patients with appointments booked on strike days will be contacted by the NHS if their appointment needs to be rescheduled due to industrial action. If you have not been contacted, you should attend your appointment as planned.

You can also download the Healthier Together app for advice if you are a parent or carer for a child under 18 years old. The app can help you decide whether you can self-care for them at home or if you need help, which service is best to meet their needs. It also provides advice and guidance for pregnant women.

Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

Dr Zaid Hirmiz, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said:

“We are so grateful to our public who have supported their local NHS during the previous strike action by choosing carefully which NHS service to access and we ask that they do that again this week.

“You can help by taking simple steps during industrial action to look after yourselves, your loved ones and to check in on vulnerable family members and neighbours.

“There are a number of alternative services including pharmacies which can now treat seven common conditions such as sinusitis and ear infections; urgent treatment centres (UTCs); Healthier Together for advice on caring for children and 111 online. By using one of these alternative services, it allows our teams in our emergency departments to attend to those patients who need urgent care and attention.

“No one should put off seeking help in an emergency, however we are urging people to only attend our Emergency Departments if it is a life or limb threatening situation.

“If you have an appointment during the industrial action, then please continue to attend as planned unless you have been contacted to reschedule.

“We are working closely with our partners to limit the impact of industrial action and patient care remains our top priority.”