The NHS across Herefordshire and Worcestershire will be significantly impacted throughout the strike action due to take place this week 25 July – 30 July.
This will result in serious challenges for all NHS services in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Will Taylor said: “We are working closely with our partners to make sure patients can access the care they need, in a safe environment, during industrial action.”
Dr Jules Walton, Chief Medical Officer at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “Our priority, as always, is to protect the safety of our patients. We will make every effort to keep all our services running throughout the period of the strike and avoid cancelling any appointments unless that is absolutely unavoidable.
“However, despite the enormous amount of hard work being done by teams across our Trust, with strikes taking place for a five-day period, we do expect our services to come under increased pressure.
“Our Emergency Department will be working exceptionally hard prioritising patients with life or limb threatening injury and illness to provide lifesaving care for those patients in the greatest need. Patients whose condition is less serious may be asked to seek treatment elsewhere or face an extremely long wait.
“Local people can play their part to help reduce pressures on services by only using 999 and or A&E for genuine life-threatening emergencies. If you are unsure or need more advice, please use NHS 111 online or by phone. They can quickly direct you to the right health service, including out of hours GP appointments. Pharmacists can also help with a range of common conditions and minor injuries.”
Chizo Agwu, Chief Medical Officer at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “We’re doing all we can to ensure we provide safe services during the industrial action this week.
“We’re expecting it to be very busy and are appealing for people to help us by choosing wisely and only visiting our Emergency Department if they have an accident or an emergency. There are alternatives and we’d urge people whose conditions are less serious to consider these.”
“If you have an appointment, please continue to come forward for the care you need. Please don’t call to check if your hospital appointment is going ahead, you’ll be contacted directly if it needs to be rearranged.”
Healthcare leaders across the two counties are asking local people to think carefully about the services they use during the period and to be proactive to avoid preventable illness to ensure emergency services are there for those who need them.
NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year online at 111.nhs.uk or by calling 111 for any urgent but not life-threatening medical needs. Trained advisers can direct people to the best possible care for their needs, including arranging an out-of-hours GP appointment or an appointment time to attend A&E or a Minor Injury Unit.
Published on the ICB website: 24 July 2025
