Industrial action: Junior doctors’ strike update
Junior doctors will be taking continuous industrial action from 7am on Friday, 11 August to 7am on Tuesday, 15 August. This is a period of four days of industrial action with significantly fewer doctors than usual. There will be disruption to the provision of our services as a result, however we are working as hard as we can to minimise this as far as possible. With fewer doctors than usual, we will be adjusting our services and the way we staff them to ensure quality of care.
Please only come to the ED if you have a serious or life-threatening illness or injury. Otherwise, please call 111 for advice about which service is best for your needs. This may include your GP, pharmacy (including Harlow Pharmacy, adjacent to the hospital) or Urgent Treatment Centre – you can read more here >
You can continue to access care from maternity services, and critical services for our inpatients.
Those in less urgent need of care can expect to experience longer waiting times than normal.
You will be contacted if your appointment needs to be changed. Please continue to come forward for the care you need, unless you have been told that your appointment has been cancelled.
Thank you for your support and understanding.
Your questions answered
What if I have an appointment on a strike day?
Everyone who has an appointment should attend as planned, unless we have contacted you to reschedule. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment. If you have been told that your appointment has been cancelled, please do not attend the hospital – our clinical teams will not be able to see you.
I have a loved one who will be a hospital inpatient on strike day – how will their care be affected?
All hospital inpatients will be informed of how their care will be impacted on a ward-by-ward basis by the team involved in delivering their care.
When will I find out if my appointment is rescheduled?
We will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. This is likely to be a text, phone call or a letter and you should be offered an alternative date for your appointment. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned. If you receive a cancellation message followed by a reminder text for your appointment, please ignore the reminder text.
If my appointment is rescheduled, will I be put back to the bottom of the waiting list?
Any appointments that need to be rescheduled will be done as a priority.
What is a junior doctor?
Junior doctors include doctors ranging from those who have recently finished medical school, up to doctors with 10 years' experience. Junior doctors help hospitals to run smoothly by leading on essential parts of patient care. Their roles range from ordering tests or X-rays and referring patients to other medical teams, to discharging patients from hospital and reviewing sick or deteriorating patients, among many other duties.
Is there anything I should do now?
No, we will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. Please try not to call the booking line, as we anticipate a high call volume.
Should I cancel my appointment on the day of strikes?
No, if we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned. For more information, you can visit the BMA website http://www.bma.org.uk.
What are the opening times for Harlow Pharmacy?
Harlow Pharmacy is located at:
Unit 2, Wych Elm
Hamstel Road
Harlow
Essex
CM20 1QR
Contact number: 01279 626786
It will be open during the following times across the period of industrial action:
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9am to 9pm daily except for Saturdays, when it is open from 11am to 9pm