Trust behind Royal Hospital Preston & Chorley and South Ribble Hospital issue guidance ahead of doctor strikes

The trust behind Royal Hospital Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital have issued a statement ahead of new doctor strikes next week.

Resident doctors in England from the British Medical Association (BMA) are set to stage a four-day walk out from 7am on Monday, Jubne 15 – the 16th round of strike action since 2023.

The walk out will end on Friday, June 19 at 6.59am.

Following the news, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which oversees Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, has issued some guidance for residents.

A Lancashire Teaching Hospitals spokesperson said: “We all know that industrial action comes at a very real cost to patients and the rest of the NHS workforce.

“Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and serious life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

“While we will do our best to only cancel appointments where it is necessary, we know from previous strikes that there will be some disruption to patient appointments as a result of the strikes. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned. The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action.

“Both primary care and secondary care have worked in partnership to mitigate risks to patient safety and there are robust plans in place to minimise the disruption and reduce delays as much as possible.”

Nationally, health officials are warning that the NHS is facing a “triple whammy of pressure” as the latest strike by resident doctors is set to coincide with a heatwave and the World Cup.

NHS officials have urged the public to come forward as usual but are expecting a rise in need as pubs and bars are expected to be especially busy next Wednesday as the Three Lions take on Croatia at 9pm UK time.

England’s first World Cup game comes as the Met Office forecasts suggest that temperatures will be “generally above normal” between Tuesday and Thursday.

NHS England said that patients should continue to attend all planned appointments unless they are specifically contacted directly to rearrange them and anyone with urgent or emergency need should seek care in the normal way.

Professor Frankie Swords, national medical director at NHS England, said: “The NHS remains open as usual during this period of industrial action, with staff across the NHS doing everything they can to keep patients safe and minimise disruption to services.

“With temperatures set to rise again this week and the World Cup kicking off – it will be triple whammy of pressure, but staff will pull together as they always do, to keep the show on the road and ensure people continue to receive the care they need.

“It is important during any heatwave, that people try to stay cool, stay out of the sun, and stay hydrated during the hottest hours, and seek help when they need it, especially those who are vulnerable including the very young, elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

“Please come forward for care as normal, call 999 or attend A&E in an emergency, and use 111 online first for urgent but non-life-threatening support.”

When the strike was announced in May, BMA officials said that Health Secretary James Murray “made clear” he will not increase the offer to resident doctors.

The union said that more strike dates in July could also be announced.

Speaking at the NHS ConfedExpo conference in Manchester, Health Secretary James Murray said: “I was really disappointed that the resident doctors are going to strike next week.

“I met them within my first couple of weeks in office and I explained to them my position, which is that there is a really good offer on the table when it comes to pay: a 28.9% increase over the last three years, 4.9% increase this year, which rises to 7.1% for some of the lowest-paid resident doctors.

“We cannot go further on pay, but when it comes to other aspects of the deal, when it comes to job opportunities, to terms and conditions, training options, that is where I want to work with them to strengthen the deal as much as possible.

“And we have been having some good conversations about that.

“I’m disappointed that, despite having those conversations about how to improve other aspects of the deal, that the strikes are still set to go ahead, and I would urge them, even today, to continue that conversation with us about the other aspects of the deal, other than pay, and make that as strong as possible for their members, because that would be for the benefit of resident doctors and all of us as patients.”