People across Lancashire and South Cumbria are being reminded that consultants are set to strike tomorrow in the run-up to the bank holiday weekend.
Unions announced that consultant doctors in England will once again be taking industrial action over 48 hours from 7am until 7am on Saturday in their ongoing pay dispute with the Government.
The strike will once again be based on Christmas Day levels of cover, meaning emergency care will still be provided.
Members of the public are asked to be mindful of the strikes when choosing which health services to use during the strike ahead of the busy bank holiday weekend.
NHS organisations will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled. If you are not contacted, please attend your appointment as planned. This includes your GP and dentist appointments.
Maggie Oldham, Deputy Chief Executive for Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, which organises local healthcare services, said: “We are extremely grateful for the public’s support during this lengthy period of industrial action and we thank them for continuing to use NHS services appropriately during these times of pressure.
“There is likely to be significant impact upon local services once again across the two days of strike action and the three-day bank holiday weekend, with the increased number of people expected to be visiting our tourism hotspots.
“Services may feel different for patients, with longer waits or deferred treatment as the NHS prioritises resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.
“It is extremely 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.”
There is also increased demand on pharmacies ahead of a bank holiday with only a small number opening on Monday to provide expert advice and deal with minor ailments and illnesses. These are the pharmacies which will be open.
People are urged to get repeat prescription orders in early to give their GP practice and pharmacy plenty of notice to have their prescriptions ready to collect.
Anyone with a health complaint who is unsure what to do should visit NHS 111 for immediate advice. In a life-threatening situation, always call 999.