Hospitals in Hull and Goole are preparing for industrial action by resident doctors, due to begin from Friday. Some non-surgical procedures and appointments will be postponed, as services for the most seriously ill, including emergency care, is prioritised.
Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, will walk out on strike from 6:59am on Friday, July 25, until Wednesday, July 30, at 6:59am. It is part of a long-running pay dispute between the Government and British Medical Association (BMA).
The BMA is seeking a 29 per cent pay rise for resident doctors, spread over several years, to bring salaries to 2008 real-term value levels. The Government has so far offered a 5.4 per cent increase. A 22 per cent increase was agreed in 2023/24, spread over two years.
Plans have been put in place at the region’s hospitals, including Castle Hill Hospital, Hull Royal Infirmary and Goole District Hospital to prepare for the strike. Staff will be contacting patients affected by postponements of appointments and procedures.
If an individual who has an appointment or procedure scheduled during the strike period is not contacted, they should attend the hospital as planned. “We appreciate that there will be some patients who are seeing their appointments with us postponed, perhaps not for the first time,” said Dr Kate Wood, group chief medical officer for NHS Humber Health Partnership.
“We know just how frustrating this is and we’d like to extend our apologies to anyone affected. Stepping down some routine care is regrettable but necessary as it allows us to focus on the most seriously ill/injured of our patients, allowing us to keep urgent, emergency care and cancer care services running.”
She stressed the local NHS has no way of knowing for certain the scale of the walkout, but stated, “We think we’re likely to see hundreds of resident doctors across our region taking part in the industrial action.
“Because of this, we cannot operate as business as usual,” she said. Dr Wood said this was the twelfth resident doctors strike the area had seen, and consequently staff are “well rehearsed at putting plans in place to prepare”. Some staff will be asked to work in different areas temporarily to maintain safe staffing levels.
The industrial action “will place further pressure on our already busy services,” Dr Wood said. “As with previous strikes we’d really appreciate the support of our local communities.
“GP surgeries and pharmacies will remain open during the strike. NHS 111 staff are on hand to offer advice if you’re unwell and unsure where to turn. If you do need to come into one of our emergency departments please be mindful that we have fewer doctors on shift so be prepared to wait to be seen and please respect our staff who are in work who are doing their best to see and treat people as quickly as possible.”
(Image: LDR)
The NHS Humber Health Partnership is advising patients they can help themselves and others by:
Ordering repeat prescriptions in plenty of time so they don’t run out of medication or other essential items
Avoiding hospital if suffering Norovirus-type symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting, or with cold or flu-like symptoms
Keeping a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home including painkillers, indigestion remedies and diarrhoea tablets
Using the NHS Emergency Prescription Service if a regular medication runs out completely
Familiarising themselves with nearby NHS services which can offer help both in and out-of-hours, like all Walk-In and Urgent Treatment Centres and a number of local pharmacies.
Full details of alternative local healthcare services can be found at www.letsgetbetter.co.uk.
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