Junior Doctor Industrial Action 27 June- 2 July

UHNM is expecting some disruption to services from today (Thursday 27 June) until 7am on 2 July amid junior doctor industrial action and continued high demand for services.

Strike action will impact some routine care at Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital, Stafford while urgent and emergency services are prioritised.

This does mean postponing some non-urgent operations to accommodate those patients with the most urgent clinical need. Cancer and our other most urgent operations and appointments will continue to be prioritised and those patients whose appointments are being postponed will be contacted directly by our teams.  Any patient’s operation which has had to be postponed will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

If you are not contacted directly, please continue to turn up for your appointment. Please also contact the number on your appointment letter if you are no longer able to make your appointment so it can be reallocated to another patient. 

We appreciate that it is disappointing for those patients whose appointments need to be postponed and we are committed to keeping any cancellations to an absolute minimum. Patient safety remains priority and we need to take action to make sure that those patients who are clinically urgent get the help they need as quickly as possible.

Our teams continue to work exceptionally hard; and we would like to reassure our patients and the public that in spite of the challenges faced and some changes to non-urgent appointments, essential services remain fully open for anyone who needs them so if you require urgent medical help, please continue to come forward.

The public can help us manage these periods of demand by ensuring they are seeking help from the most appropriate health services and only attending A&E for serious accidents and emergencies. If you are unwell, visit NHS 111 online for 24/7 advice about the most appropriate care for your need.

UHNM Medical Director Dr Matthew Lewis said: “Alongside dealing with ongoing pressures, staff have worked hard to mitigate the impact of strike action which will run from today until Tuesday. We have put in place measures to maintain care for those who need it urgently and rescheduled some planned appointments which are now unable to go ahead.”

He added: “It remains vital that people who need care come forward and get it in the usual way – using 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies and 111 for everything else.”

Patients who haven’t been contacted to say their appointment has been postponed should attend as normal.