The NHS across Herefordshire and Worcestershire will be significantly impacted throughout the strike action due to take place from 7am on the 17 December – 7am 22 December.
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.”
Healthcare leaders across Worcestershire 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.
Dr Jules Walton, Chief Medical Officer at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
said: “With strikes taking place over five days during what is already a busy time of the year for health services, we expecting to be under increased pressure.
Our Emergency Department team 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.
“If your condition is less serious you can call 111 or visit 111 online, which is a free NHS Service. 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.
“Local people can play their part to help reduce pressures on services by only using 999 and A&E for genuine life-threatening emergencies and using NHS 111 online or by phone for other care needs or if you’re unsure about whether you should go to hospital.
“We are also seeing significant additional pressures as a result of high levels of flu and other seasonal illnesses. I would encourage anyone who hasn’t yet had their flu vaccination to protect themselves and their loved ones against the risk of infection by getting vaccinated as soon as possible.”
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 (MIU).
MIUs offer advice and treatment for a variety of injuries, including cuts, grazes, wounds, sprains, minor eye injuries, strains and minor burns.
Dr Emma Wales, Associate 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, especially in view of the time of year and nationally rising numbers of flu cases, and we are appealing for people to help us by only attending our Emergency Department if it is truly an emergency or they have sustained an accident requiring review in the Emergency Department.
We will be prioritising the sickest patients which may cause additional waits in the department. There are alternatives and we would urge people to consider these as an alternative to attending the Emergency Department.”
“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.”
Scott Parker, Director of Operations and Transformation from Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust said: “Our Minor Injury Units in Worcestershire are open on weekends and ready to help,”
“We often see people waiting until Monday to seek help for minor injuries, but there’s no need to delay care.”
MIUs in Bromsgrove and Malvern have extended x-ray services available this weekend. MIUs in Evesham, Kidderminster and Tenbury are also open, providing expert care for a wide range of minor injuries.