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Junior doctors who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) have voted to take industrial action at NHS Trusts across England, including Trusts serving Derby and Derbyshire.
The first round of industrial action will take place for 72 hours consecutively between 7am on Monday 13 March and 7am on Thursday 16 March 2023. During this time, junior doctors in Derbyshire will have the opportunity and personal choice to go on strike for all or some of the time.
While some NHS services – such as community and district nursing services – will be largely unaffected by this industrial action, there may be disruption to other services including hospital services, mental health services and primary care.
Derbyshire’s NHS Trusts are therefore requesting the support of all system partners during the 72 hours’ industrial action. Please note that priority will be given to urgent referrals into services during this time, and please be patient when awaiting responses to requests and enquiries.
Patient safety will be the priority on the days of the industrial action. All the Trusts affected have incident management teams in place and are working closely with union representatives and each other to minimise disruption.
Our messages to the public
Our key messages to members of the public ahead of, and during, the industrial action will include:
- The NHS is asking patients to use services wisely during industrial action and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and only using 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.
- It is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk. A&E, ambulance and 999 services in Derby and Derbyshire will remain available from 13 to 16 March.
- Similarly, people in mental health crisis should continue to seek support as normal. Mental health crisis services will be running from 13 to 16 March, as will the Derbyshire Mental Health Helpline and Support Service (0800 028 0077).
- The NHS will contact you if an appointment needs to be rescheduled due to industrial action. If your appointment needs to be rearranged, NHS staff may try to call you from a withheld number. If you have not been contacted, please attend your appointment as planned.
- GP services are impacted by this strike action but please continue to attend your GP appointments, unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
Latest updates
For the most up-to-date information, please see the NHS Trusts’ websites and social media accounts:
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
https://twitter.com/royalhospital
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust
Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
https://www.derbyshirehealthcareft.nhs.uk/industrial-action-13-16-march-2023
https://twitter.com/derbyshcft