A reminder has been issued to the public in Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset, that hospital services are still experiencing extreme pressure due to ongoing industrial action by junior doctors.
The industrial action started on Monday, April 10th and is set to continue until Saturday, April 15th with disruption expected to continue into next week.
As a result, local hospitals will be under intense pressure during the weekend and the beginning of next week and the public is being asked to help by being aware of available local services and using them appropriately.
The Chief Nurse at Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, Gill May, expressed gratitude for the public’s support but cautioned that the situation will remain challenging until the end of the strike saying “our colleagues across BSW have been working incredibly hard since the industrial action started on Monday and we expect the resulting pressures on our services to become more challenging each day this strike progresses.
“We would like to thank members of the public for their support over the past few days but we are reminding people that this period of industrial action will continue until Saturday morning and services will be extremely busy over the weekend and into the early part of next week.”
Dr. Jon Westbrook, Chief Medical Officer at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Swindon, emphasised that despite longer waiting times, all patients who require assistance will be seen by a clinical practitioner.
He urged people to visit the hospital only when necessary and to seek appropriate treatment from local GP Practices, Pharmacies, and other health care services.
People can also access the NHS 111 online service 24/7 if they are unsure which service to use. In the case of life-threatening emergencies, individuals should continue to call 999.
Additional information on local health services and how to access them can be found on the BSW Your Health website.
