Local NHS braces for severe disruption due to consultant strike
The NHS is bracing itself for one of the toughest strikes in its history beginning today, say health bosses at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.
Consultant doctors and hospital-based dentists are taking strike action from 8am today until 8am on Saturday, with consultants only providing staffing levels to cover emergency care.
In contrast to strike action among other staff groups, no other clinicians can provide cover for consultants, so any planned care delivered by junior doctors or other healthcare professionals that requires even remote consultant supervision will need to be rescheduled.
The action by consultants follows on from the longest period of industrial action in NHS history by junior doctors, which started last Thursday and ended on Tuesday morning.
Advice for the public who need care has not changed – people should use 999 in life-threatening emergencies and NHS 111 online for other health concerns. GP services and pharmacies are also available for patients and can be accessed in the usual way.
Patients are also reminded that if you haven’t been contacted or informed that your planned appointment has been postponed, please attend as normal.
Dr Nick White, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said: “This could be the most severe impact we have seen in the NHS as a result of industrial action, with routine care virtually at a standstill for 48 hours.
“Consultants will not only stop seeing patients themselves, but they won’t be around to provide supervision over the work of junior doctors.
“It also follows on very closely from the longest ever junior doctors strike, which itself affected thousands of appointments, with back-to-back action leaving NHS services with almost no time to recover.
“We are working closely with our trusts to ensure that emergency and urgent care is prioritised, and patients remain safe, but it’s becoming more challenging to get services back on track after each round of action.”
