Industrial action: Junior doctors’ strike update
The British Medical Association (BMA) is taking continuous industrial action from 7am on 13 July until 7am on 18 July. We are working hard to minimise disruption to our services 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 so 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 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 the following times across the period of industrial action:
- Thursday 13 July: 9am to 9pm
- Friday 14 July: 9am to 9pm
- Saturday 15 July: 11am to 9pm
- Sunday 16July: 9am to 9pm
- Monday 17 July: 9am to 9pm