Royal Bolton Hospital advice as junior doctors go on strike

The walkout is set to take place between 7am on Tuesday April 11 and 7am on Saturday April 15, lasting 96 hours.

As a result, some routine appointments and procedures may be postponed at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.

Chief operating officer Rae Wheatcroft said: “Our priority during the four days of strikes will be to provide emergency services, alongside care and ongoing support for our inpatients.

“We have built on our plans from the junior doctor action in March, and our teams will ensure we continue to keep our sickest patients safe.

“We are immensely grateful to the public for their ongoing support by using the NHS appropriately, and we ask they continue to show kindness towards our staff who will be doing everything they can to look after our patients during this challenging period.”

Royal Bolton Hospital (Image: Bolton NHS Foundation Trust)

Ms Wheatcroft and her colleagues have asked members of the public to try and take the pressure off the trust over the Easter long weekend by making sure that they choose the right health service for them.

They have advised that patients should still go to planned appointments unless they have been told about a reschedule and should still call 999 or go to A&E in an emergency.

People can help the help service by bringing friends or relatives who are due to be discharged home as soon as possible to free up beds and by ordering repeat prescriptions and medicines to stock up before the Easter weekend.

Anyone who needs to see a health professional fact to face can go to 111.nhs.uk.

NHS Greater Manchester chief medical officer Dr Manisha Kumar said: “We want to help people to have fun and make the most of their Easter, while also being aware of the pressures that their local NHS will be facing over the weekend and the following week.

 “We want to assure the public that if the unexpected does happen and someone becomes unwell, they can still get urgent help even if their normal GP or dental practice is closed.”

She added: “In the event of a life or limb threatening emergency people should call 999 or attend accident and emergency services.”

Junior doctors will be striking as part of their second wave of action in a long running dispute between the British Medical Association and the government about rates of pay.

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But their leadership have said that they still hope to be able to negotiate with health secretary Steve Barclay MP.

BMA chair of council professor Philip Banfield said: “We have been clear in all our communications with his office that our ask is to achieve full pay restoration for junior doctors in order to reverse the real-terms pay cuts we have suffered since 2008.”

He added: “We remain committed to beginning talks to engage in meaningful discussions about pay restoration, and will do so in the run up to and during strike action.

“The ball is firmly in Steve Barclay’s court.”