Hospital services at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust will be affected by upcoming industrial action by resident doctors. Resident doctors will exercise their right to strike over five days from 7am on Friday (14th November) to 7am on Wednesday (19th November). 

The Trust has made detailed plans to make sure we prioritise patients and staff safety and minimise the impact on services as far as possible. 

Almost all services will be maintained during the industrial action including planned operations and most appointments.  A small number of outpatient appointments are being rearranged and those patients are being contacted directly.  If you are not contacted then it is very important that you attend your appointment as normal.

People with urgent or life-threatening issues will always be prioritised, and those with non-urgent needs may experience long waits.

Dr Adrian Clements, Executive Medical Director at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC), said:

“This strike is taking place during an early spread of winter viruses, such as flu, in our communities, which will put extra pressure on our services.

“Due to the strike our services will be safe but patients are asked to choose wisely and only to attend urgent and emergency care in an emergency. We apologise in advance but patients who do need to attend could be waiting for extended periods to be seen and treated due to a reduction in the number of medical staff on duty.

“Please do not visit loved ones in hospital if you have been unwell in the last 48 hours, infections are more serious for those who are already in hospital, and also contribute to staff sickness.

“Thank you to everyone for their support and help.”

The public can help by:

  • Only calling 999 and attend emergency departments if it is a genuine life-threatening injury or illness
  • If it isn't an emergency, consider using a different service such as your GP or pharmacy.
  • Relatives and loved ones of inpatients can consider if they can support patients ready to be discharged sooner.

If you're not sure which service is best for your condition, please use NHS 111 online