Junior Doctors on the Isle of Wight will be taking part in nationwide industrial action on Tuesday (26th) and Wednesday (27th) this week.
The total 18 hours of action (between 8am on Tuesday to 5pm on Wednesday) is a result of the long-running dispute over new contracts for Junior Doctors. This time the action also includes Accident and Emergency (A&E) units.
Isle of Wight NHS say they have well-prepared contingency plans in place “to ensure minimum disruption”.
Mass resignation of trainees possible
A proposal, negotiated by the Labour Party with the BMA aimed to avoid an all-out strike this week, was rejected by the minister in charge, Jeremy Hunt.
If negotiations can’t be moved forward, it’s been revealed the British Medical Association (BMA) have not ruled out a permanent strike of junior doctors, or even a mass resignation of trainees.
Plans for the Isle of Wight
Patients who have existing appointments or scheduled operations during this period should attend as normal, unless they are contacted by a member of Trust staff to rearrange their treatment.
Shaun Stacey, Chief Operating Officer at Isle of Wight NHS Trust commented:
“I want to reassure residents that, with the support of our staff, emergency care will not be affected by the industrial action, and we have worked hard to minimise the impact across all other aspects of our service. Patients are contacted individually if it is necessary for their operation or appointment to be rescheduled and we endeavor to get them back onto an operating list as quickly as possible.
“I would ask Islanders to ensure that they help to reduce pressure on services by making full use of the range of alternative health care advice and support such as pharmacies, NHS 111 and the NHS Choices website. If you are thinking of visiting the Beacon Centre please think twice. Call 111 first for advice to avoid a possible long wait.
“We have reduced the list size or cancelled some outpatient clinics to enable those doctors to provide support to their colleagues on the Wards, in the Emergency Department, the Beacon Centre and the Medical Assessment Unit. We have also roistered additional Emergency Care Practitioners (highly qualified paramedics) to support the ambulance service and additional call takers to provide advice and support.”
For more information about the strike and what to do visit www.nhs.uk/strike.
Image: rohinfrancis under CC BY 2.0
