NHS Junior doctors strike: QA Hospital to "prioritise" urgent care with disruption expected ahead of strikes

The hospital in Cosham has released the warning to patients with the British Medical Association (BMA) confirming that junior doctors will strike from Saturday, February 24 at 7am until Wednesday, February 28 at 11.59pm. The strikes were announced after the government and the BMA have been unable to come to an agreement on a new pay deal for junior doctors.

Liz Rix, the Chief Nurse at Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust, said: “We will be prioritising the delivery of urgent and emergency services, so that we can continue to safely care for our sickest patients during this next period of industrial action. Due to the high levels of demand that we have been experiencing, some patients are already waiting longer than we would like in the Emergency Department and we expect to see this further impacted once industrial action restarts. We will continue to redirect anyone that could be seen elsewhere, so if your need isn’t life threatening or you are unsure which service is best, please use 111.nhs.uk, your GP Practice or local pharmacy.

“We are contacting any patients who have a planned appointment or procedure that may need to be postponed. If you haven’t heard from us directly that your appointment is affected, please attend as planned. We hope that there will be a resolution in place soon between the Government and trade unions and thank you once more for your patience. All our teams are working hard, so please continue to treat them with respect during this busy time.”

If you are feeling unwell but are not sure of the best place to seek care, the Trust recommends you visit its website for further information or call/visit 111. If your issues is during normal opening hours you are also recommended to contact your GP practice. For help with an unwell child, there is help and advice on a range of common conditions from the Healthier Together website.

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust advice anyone who is looking for support with their mental health to contact the Portsmouth Mental Health Hub. It can be reached on 0300 123 6621 (Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm).