Hampshire NHS set to be 'very busy' over bank holiday weekend amid Royal College of Nursing strikes

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are due to take part in industrial action from 8pm on Sunday, April 30 until Midnight on Monday, May 1. Because of this and the bank holiday itself, Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS has warned that pharmacies and hospitals – including emergency departments – will be busier than usual.

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Joint chief medical officer Dr Lara Alloway said: ‘We are working closely with our partners across the county to plan, prepare and mitigate the potential impact on patients, communities and staff to ensure that services continue to run as smoothly as possible.

‘Patient care remains our top priority and we are working hard to ensure that we continue to deliver the best level of care possible. If you have an appointment during the industrial action you should continue to attend as planned unless you are contacted to reschedule.

‘No one should put off seeking urgent care in an emergency during this period, however we are urging people to only attend our emergency departments if it is an emergency situation. Details of other services including urgent treatment centres that are available to you are on the ICB website.’

If you have an urgent medical problem and you are not sure what to do, visit 111 online at 111.nhs.uk

The NHS has asked for people to only go to a hospital’s emergency department for life-threatening accidents and emergencies.