NHS sends urgent message to patients amid warning some appointments 'won't go ahead'

Ahead of the looming resident doctor strikes set to start tomorrow, (Friday, July 24), the NHS has issued an advisory notice to hospital patients. The industrial action is expected to disrupt some NHS services until Wednesday, July 30. Resident doctors across England and Wales are bracing for a five-day walkout starting this Friday, amidst concerns that emergency departments could see patient safety compromised.

This marks the peak of a growing dispute between NHS chiefs and the British Medical Association (BMA) over salary issues. An estimated 50,000 resident doctors are preparing to strike, with the official NHS social media channels alerting the public: "Starting from 7am on Friday July 25, someNHS services will be affected due to strike action.

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"You will be contacted if your appointment needs to be changed. Please continue to come forward for the care you need." Amidst the intensifying clash between the BMA and health authorities regarding the impending doctor strike, there's evidence to suggest that public backing for the strike is diminishing.

In a recent address to the House of Commons, Health Secretary Wes Streeting expressed his earnest wish for the BMA to call off the "unnecessary and irresponsible" strikes in favour of ongoing discussions with the Government, which he described as "constructive" in the past few days.

Mr Streeting also assured that the Government remains "ready" and "responsive" to handle the situation should the five-day strike by resident doctors, slated to begin at 7am on Friday, proceed as planned.

The NHS is bracing for yet another strike by health workers, which in the past has led to the cancellation of countless operations and appointments. However, this time around, NHS England is adopting a fresh strategy to cope with the industrial action, reports the Liverpool Echo.

In a directive sent to hospital trust chiefs, NHS England has called for a concerted effort to ensure emergency services remain operational, patient flow is uninterrupted, and elective care, along with "priority treatments" like cancer therapy, continues as much as possible.

The guidance stressed: "It will be important for systems and trusts to try and maintain normal levels of booked activity. Reducing volumes of bookings and rescheduling of appointments and other activity should only happen in exceptional circumstances to safeguard patient safety."

Resident doctors, who were formerly known as junior doctors, are an integral part of the NHS workforce, constituting about half of all doctors within the system. These are fully qualified medical practitioners undergoing clinical training, with up to nine years of experience working in hospitals across various specialties, or up to five years if they're on the path to becoming a GP.

The upcoming strike marks the twelfth instance of resident doctors walking out since March 2023, cumulatively causing 49 days of disruption – nearly ten full working weeks of strikes over this timeframe.

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England's National Medical Director, expressed her concerns: "There is no doubt this industrial action will take a toll on patients and NHS staff, and it is disappointing it is going ahead.

"While it will mean some appointments won't be able to go ahead as planned, we are doing all we can to limit this, and patients should continue to use NHS services in the usual way.

"The public should dial 999 in an emergency, and otherwise use 111 online, your local pharmacist or GP, and patients should attend NHS appointments unless told otherwise."

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