Advice for patients ahead of a five-day resident doctors’ strike in December

The NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) has issued advice for patients ahead of a five-day resident doctors’ strike, which is planned to start next week.

Resident doctors, who work mainly in hospitals, are due to be on strike from 7am on Wednesday 17 December to 7am on Monday 22 December.

During the strikes, people are asked to attend any planned medical appointments as normal, as the NHS will get in touch if an appointment needs to be rescheduled.  GP practices will also be open as normal.

Professor Damian Roland, Clinical Lead for Urgent and Emergency Care for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland health and care system said: “ We have put our well-established plans into action again and will be working very hard, so that people can continue to get the care they need. It is vital that people come forward for care if they do need it, to prevent health problems from becoming more serious.

 “Services are already busier than normal at this time of year, which is why we also want people to remember to follow our advice for getting the right care, in the right place. This means considering self-care options for minor conditions and using GP practices or NHS 111 if it’s more serious. They can arrange the right appointment for your needs, including appointments for the same day and during evenings and weekends, if you need to be seen.”

The local NHS recommends following its two-step process for getting the right care, in the right place, called Need Help Fast? This advice applies all year round, not just during the strikes, to help make the best use of limited resources:

• Step 1: Try to manage the problem yourself or get help from a local pharmacy, NHS 111 online, or the NHS App.
• Step 2: If that doesn’t work, or the problem is more serious, contact your GP practice or NHS 111 (when your GP practice is closed). They will help book you the right appointment in the right place. This could be at your own GP practice, a pharmacy (through the Pharmacy First scheme), an urgent treatment centre, or another GP practice or health centre (during evenings, weekends and bank holidays).

If it’s a life-threatening emergency, people should go to the emergency department or call 999. If you go to the emergency department and it isn’t the right place for you, you may be asked to use another service instead.

In a mental health crisis, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option, or visit a Neighbourhood Mental Health Cafe. You can also text 0748 063 5199 for a response within four hours.

For further information, visit: https://leicesterleicestershireandrutland.icb.nhs.uk/need-help-fast/