Junior doctors across the Humber region will begin their tenth round of industrial action shortly as part of their long-running pay dispute with the Government.

Members of the BMA will take industrial action in the form of a full walkout from 7am on Saturday 24 February through to 11.59pm on Wednesday 28 February. This will be mirrored by members of the HCSA union, but their action will be slightly longer, ending on the Thursday at 6.59am.

Staff at Castle Hill, Hull, Grimsby, Goole and Scunthorpe hospitals have put plans in place to prepare for the strike, which does mean some patients will have their appointments/procedures postponed. Staff will be contacting affected patients. Anyone with an appointment/procedure scheduled for between 24 and 29 February should attend the hospital as planned if you haven’t heard from our team

Dr Kate Wood, Group Chief Medical Officer for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:

“We appreciate that there will be some patients who are seeing their appointments with us postponed, perhaps not for the first time. We know just how frustrating this is and we’d like to extend our apologies to anyone affected. Stepping down some routine care is regrettable but necessary as it allows us to focus on the most seriously ill/injured of our patients, allowing us to keep urgent, emergency care and cancer care services running.

“This is the tenth junior doctors strike that we’ve seen so our staff are well rehearsed at putting plans in place to prepare, however we know that five/six days of industrial action will place further pressure on our already busy services.  As with previous strikes we’d really appreciate the support of our local communities.

“GP surgeries and pharmacies are not affected by the strike and will remain open. NHS 111 staff are on hand to offer advice if you’re unwell and unsure where to turn. If you do need to come into one of our emergency departments please be mindful that we have fewer doctors on shift so be prepared to wait to be seen and please respect our staff who are in work who are doing their best to see and treat people as quickly as possible.”

Patients can also help themselves and others by:

• Ordering repeat prescriptions in plenty of time so they don’t run out of medication or other essential items
• Avoiding hospital if suffering Norovirus-type symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting, or with cold or flu-like symptoms
• Keeping a well-stocked medicine cabinet at home including painkillers, indigestion remedies and diarrhoea tablets
• Using the NHS Emergency Prescription Service if a regular medication runs out completely
• Taking up the offer of Covid and flu vaccinations where eligible; and
• Familiarising themselves with nearby NHS services which can offer help both in and out-of-hours; these include all Walk-In and Urgent Treatment Centres and a number of local pharmacies. NHS111 remains available 24hrs/day, 365 day a year for medical advice and signposting, online or over the phone.

Full details of alternative local healthcare services can be found at www.letsgetbetter.co.uk