NHS hospital services will be affected by upcoming industrial action by consultants.
Consultants will exercise their right to strike over two days from 7am on Thursday 24th August until 7am on Saturday 26th August ahead of the August bank holiday weekend.
The Cumbrian public are urged to help where they can. Families and friends are asked to help support their loved one’s discharges home and to use 111, GPs and pharmacies as the first port of call for advice as these services are not affected by the strikes.
If you have an appointment on a strike day but have not been contacted by the Trust, please attend your appointment as planned.
Dr Emma Farrow, clinical director of emergency care at NCIC said:
“During the strike period the availability of our senior medical staff will be stretched and the availability of staff that can see you will be reduced. This will impact on waiting times and discharges however the team will maintain patient safety and ensure unwell patients are seen in a timely manner. There may be delays to be seen if you do not have a serious problem.
“If families can work with us to support patients to get home, we can then release capacity for others who need to be in hospital. The strikes don’t affect the whole of the NHS so GPs, pharmacies and the 111 service should always be used as the first port of call for advice unless your needs are urgent or life threatening and then of course we will be there for you.”
Dr Louise Buchannan, associate medical director added:
“We are extremely grateful to everyone for their support and help; this period will be challenging however we have plans in
place to keep patients safe and staff supported. If any clinics or procedures have been postponed, patients will have been contacted directly. You really can help us in the hospitals by using the right service for your needs. Please be kind to our staff. For those who come to A&E with non-life threatening or urgent needs you should expect very long waiting times and you may be asked to get advice from a pharmacy or GP surgery instead”
