The medical director of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has reassured patients that emergency services will be in operation as a wave of strike action, said to be the most disruptive yet starts today.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, which governs the Royal Bolton Hospital is preparing for further strikes after both junior doctors and consultants voted for industrial action in July.

Junior doctors will strike for five days from 7am on Thursday 13 July until 7am on Tuesday 18 July 2023.

The industrial action is over an ongoing dispute over pay.

The Bolton News:

Emergency services are still operating

Although the strikes will be the most disruptive yet with junior doctors staging the largest walkout in the NHS’ history, medical director Dr Francis Andrews has reassured the public that emergency services will still be operating.

GP services will also continue to operate across Bolton, although patients are being warned that some junior doctors working with GPs may decide to take industrial action.

Patients are being warned that hospital services are expected to be busier than usual, particularly in A&E, and Dr Andrews has urged people  to use the appropriate service for a non-life-threatening condition or emergency.

He said: “If you have an urgent or emergency care need, or if you are in severe pain, there are appropriate routes.

“For non-life-threatening concerns the public can visit NHS 111 online or call NHS 111, and always ring 999 in an emergency.

“We are all saddened that this is taking place, but we have planned for it, working together with the hospital, community services, managers, doctors, and nurses, to make sure that emergency and urgent services stay open.

“It’s clear if it is life-threatening that this can mean mental health as well and they will be seen by someone appropriate to their needs.”

The Bolton News:

Which services are affected?

The services that will be affected at Royal Bolton Hospital include outpatient services, planned investigations, and planned operations.

Dr Andrews says that whilst some appointments will be cancelled, patients will be notified beforehand.

He said: “Sadly some appointments will be cancelled but they will be contacted before the strike starts.

“If you have not been contacted, please turn up for it.

“It’s absolutely vital so we don’t lose any appointment or treatment slots, with the backlog.”

How will GP services be affected?

Patients may be signposted via 111 to a GP service, but people should also continue to contact their GP for what they usually would.

Dr Claire Lake, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Greater Manchester, says that the NHS across Greater Manchester is taking a system view where planning across the whole system has been taken into account – meaning they are more than prepared to respond to the situation.

She said: “All of the planning that we have been doing for the strikes means working across the whole system and looking at the knock-on impact.

“We have had strikes for eight months, so we have got really good plans, including regular incident response meetings so if there are any issues, they are picked up really quickly.

“GPs will be checking staffing levels and making sure they have as much as possible during the strike, but there will be minimal disruption.

“GPs are used to dealing with surges in demand.”

Any routine medication should also be ordered ahead of the strikes to avoid any delays.

GP services will also be unable to help with hospital appointments due to the impact this could have, but alternative routes are available on the hospital website.

There will also be help available on minor ailments and certain conditions at community pharmacies which will not be affected.

More than 650,000 routine operations and appointments have had to be rescheduled due to industrial action across England since December, it has been revealed.

Staff continue to be supported throughout

Dr Andrews has said that as an employer they support all staff.

He said: “We want all parties to get round the table as soon as possible.

“It is a real concern on the population of Bolton and undoubtedly has an impact on the junior doctors who make the difficult decision.

“We want to thank the public for their patience, and we are doing everything we can to  help.

“Junior doctors are a very important part of our workforce, and they can be doctors who have just qualified or doctors with eight or more years experience.

“They do absolutely crucial jobs and we value them and the consultants, which the NHS is reliant on.

“As an employer we always provide support for everyone and it’s an individual’s right to strike as long as it is within employment law.

“We have got amazing staff and it’s a very sad situation that we are in.”

How do I know when to ring 999 or NHS 111

Emergency care involves life-threatening illnesses or accidents which require immediate treatment from the ambulance service (via 999) and A&E.

Urgent care involves any non-life-threatening illness or injury needing urgent attention which might be dealt with by phone consultation through the NHS111 Clinical Assessment Service, pharmacy advice, out-of-hours GP appointments, and/or referral to an urgent treatment centre (UTC).

For more information on when to use NHS 111 click here (gmintegratedcare.org.uk/gtkwtg/).