Junior doctors' full walkout will cause some disruption
22 April 2016
Health Care
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is expecting some disruption to services during the planned two-day full walkout by members of the BMA, between 08.00 and 17.00 on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 April.
Mr Neil Rothnie, Medical Director, said, "We have detailed plans
in place to manage the impact of the planned action on our services
over the two days. I would like to reassure our local
communities that the safety of our patients is always our
priority.
"This is the first time that a full walkout has taken place,
meaning that there will be a potential impact on emergency services
at the hospital during the strike that we have not experienced on
previous occasions. As always we need our local community's
assistance to ensure that they are using our emergency department
wisely and allowing our service to deal with real emergencies
during a period that will place additional pressure on our
hospital, which is already facing significant demand.
"Please think carefully about whether our emergency department
is the right place to come for non-urgent complaints, and choose
the most suitable service for the treatment you need including
pharmacists, GPs and NHS111."
Jon Findlay, Chief Operating Officer, said, "In preparation for
the industrial action, we have looked carefully at the clinics and
elective surgery planned on those days and for the days before and
after the strikes, and inevitably we will have to postpone some
clinic sessions and operations. We are sorry for this
unavoidable inconvenience and will contact patients affected by
these cancellations directly so if you do not hear from us, please
assume that your appointment remains unchanged."
For more information about additional services available
locally, patients can visit www.nhs.uk/strike