Increased pressure at Nottinghamshire health services as four-day junior doctor strike gets under way

The industrial action, which started at 7am on April 11, is taking place over a 96-hour period until 7am on April 15, with the action impacting the county’s hospitals, mental health services, GP practices and other NHS services. The action is being led by the British Medical Association.

Health and care organisations across Nottinghamshire are working together to mitigate the impact and are prioritising hospital discharges.

Phil Bolton, chief nurse at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Sutton’s King’s Mill and Mansfield Community hospitals, said: “We are doing all we can to keep essential urgent and emergency services running, so patients can continue to access the vital medical attention they need.

“We’d like to thank the public for their support during the junior doctors’ industrial action so far. The actions we have put in place to ensure we can continue to care for emergency and urgent patients have been effective and we’d like to thank everyone who has helped.

“As part of this work we have been working hard to discharge patients who are ready to leave hospital. If your relative is due to be discharged from hospital and needs to be collected, please do so as early as possible. This will help our teams and free up a hospital bed for someone waiting to be admitted.

“I want to ask the public to please help during this challenging time by only calling 999 or attending A&E in a genuine emergency. There are other services available, including our Urgent Treatment Centres and NHS111, GPs and pharmacies, so please choose the right service for your needs.”

The NHS said, while it is “here to see the public safely throughout this industrial action”, there are significantly fewer doctors to call upon, which means it could take longer for patients with less urgent concerns to be seen.

People are urged to choose the right service for their needs and continue to attend appointments as planned, unless contacted to rearrange.