Emergency services at King’s Mill Hospital will not be affected by junior doctors’ strike

The trust has tried and tested plans in place at King’s Mill and Newark hospitals to deal with a range of disruptions, including industrial action.

It was announced last week that junior doctors will strike on three separate days in December over a contract dispute with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

They will provide only emergency care for 24 hours from 8am on Tuesday (December 1), followed by full walkouts from 8am to 5pm on December 8 and 16.

Patients in Mansfield and Ashfield in need of emergency care on Tuesday will continue to receive the treatment they need, when they need it - but those in less urgent need of care may experience longer waiting times than normal.

Booked appointments and admissions are likely to be seriously affected and the trust is advising people due to attend an appointment to attend the hospital, unless they are notified beforehand that their appointment has been cancelled.

Trust bosses say the ‘the safety and welfare of patients is their utmost priority’.

People are also being reminded to use healthcare services as normal – such as visiting their pharmacist or GP, calling NHS 111 or using NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk) as appropriate to reduce the pressure on services like A&E.