The NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) has issued advice for patients ahead of a five-day junior doctors’ strike, which starts this weekend. The strikes come at a time of year when all NHS services are already much busier than normal.
Junior doctors will be on strike from 7am on Saturday 24 February to 11:59pm on Wednesday 28 February.
Dr Nil Sanganee,Chief Medical Officer for NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland said: “Right across the local NHS, we have well-established plans in place to make sure patients can continue to get the care they need during the strike action. People should continue to contact the NHS straight away if they need help, including GP practices which aren’t affected by the strikes. We want people to continue to attend any planned medical appointments, unless we have let you know they have been rescheduled.
“The best way for people to get advice about the right care for their particular situation is to use NHS 111 before setting out anywhere. It is available 24/7 by telephone, online or can be found on the NHS App. This is what we would recommend at any time of year, but it is particularly important during the strikes when services that are already busy, will be even busier than normal.”
The local NHS has issued these tips ahead of the strikes, which coincide with the end of the half term holidays in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland:
- If you do need medical help, come forward straight away.
- Please attend any planned medical appointments as normal. The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled.
- If you take regular prescribed medication, do continue taking it as recommended to prevent your condition deteriorating. Remember to take your medication with you if you are going away. Order any medication you need in good time so you don’t run out. You can now use the NHS App for this and can arrange to collect your medication from any pharmacy.
- If you are normally in good health and you have a minor illness, you can usually treat this yourself at home. Get advice from your local pharmacy, NHS 111 online or the NHS App.
- Pharmacies can provide advice and medication for many common or minor illnesses at convenient times and without an appointment, so do try a pharmacy first.
- GP practices are not affected by the strikes and will be open as normal. Their opening core hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 6:30pm, excluding bank holidays. Many practices are open later in the evening and at weekends.
- Where you can, use the NHS App to make requests from your GP practice at a convenient time for you, for example for booking appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions and viewing your health record or correspondence.
- If you need urgent help and your GP practice is closed, use NHS 111 (online, by phone or using the NHS App), available 24/7. They will review your symptoms and refer you to the most appropriate service based on your needs. They can even book an appointment or arrival time at local urgent care services to keep your waiting time to a minimum.
- There are eight urgent care services that can be used without an appointment and three for x-rays instead of the Emergency Department. Find out more at https://bit.ly/LLRUrgentCare
- For urgent mental health support, call the Central Access Point on 0808 800 3302, 24/7, or visit a Neighbourhood Mental Health Cafe.
- The 999 service should only be used in a life-threatening emergency.
- If you are unwell when away from home in the UK, your first port of call should be your own GP practice. They will be able to provide online, phone and video consultations and arrange for prescriptions to be sent to any pharmacy you choose.
- Pack a basic first aid kit if you are going away or on a day trip.
For further information, visit https://bit.ly/RightNowNHSLLR
One Response
I was admitted to the LRI with a dislocated hip during the last junior Drs strike.
I was also admitted to the LRI when the junior Drs were working.
The first admission I saw a junior Dr once in my 48 hour stay. I did wonder if they were actually on strike, but no, they were sitting at computers drinking coffee!
My second admission, Drs on strike, I was seen on numerous occasions by senior Drs who polite, introduced themselves, wanted to know how I was feeling, was the pain under control , how my hip got disconnected etc.They came to see me after the procedure and discussed when I could be discharged. Whilst I didn’t see the same Dr each time, each one on them were professional, introduced themselves and who they worked for.
In my opinion, junior Drs have much to learn about communication face to face with patients, and learning much from their senior colleagues.
Time spent being on strike achieves nothing at all apart from taking them away from their learning situation.
Unfortunately the times of consultants on ward rounds telling them to listen to sister and if she tells you to jump, you say how high. It seems those consultants have now retired along with ward sisters who knew everything and kept a check on junior Drs and taught them much about patient care, communication and empathy.
Quite a few junior Drs I’ve seem at all 3 hospitals are scruffy looking individuals. They wear theatre scrubs which go to the laundry for washing. Some Drs must wear the same scrubs day in, day out because they are crumpled, creased and untidy.
If junior Drs want to be treated like professionals then they should aspire to look like one. Young people go into medical school because they want to be Drs. They know at the outset the pay and conditions. When they leave medical school after they qualify, that’s when the real learning begins. They will have huge debts but they don’t have to be repaid until they earn a certain salary.
Unless you’re gravely I’ll and cannot get to an urgent care centre or your Gp, don’t dial 999. You will have to wait 10 to 12 hours minimum for an ambulance then another 2 to 5 hours in the ambulance outside A&E.
The state of our health service is diabolical and most of it isn’t fit for purpose. It’s not about careing for the patients anymore it’s about making money and giving far too many managers far to high a salary which means less money to pay the hundreds of unnecessary staff their salaries and more important staff like junior Drs and nurses very unreasonable salaries.