PEOPLE in Herefordshire are urged to only go to A&E if they are seriously sick as junior doctors and consultants stage their biggest strikes to date. 

The five-day walkout, which has started today (July 13) is being described as biggest in the history of the NHS amid ongoing protests over pay in the health service.

Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) in England have again mounted picket lines outside hospitals from 7am at the start of the walkout, which will cause huge disruption, affecting operations and consultations.

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Dr James Bartlett, Clinical Director, Acute and Emergency Medicine, Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “We’re doing all we can to ensure we provide safe services during the industrial action this week.

“We’re expecting it to be very busy and we can only do so much. We really are appealing for people to help us by choosing wisely and only visit our Emergency Department if they are seriously sick. There are alternatives and we’d urge people to consider these.”

“If you have an appointment, please continue to come forward for the care you need. Please don’t call to check if your hospital appointment is going ahead, you’ll be contacted directly if it needs to be rearranged.”

During strike action, the NHS will prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, and trauma, and ensure it prioritises patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.

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The NHS 111 service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year online at 111.nhs.uk or by calling 111 for any urgent but not life-threatening medical needs. Trained advisers can direct people to the best possible care for their needs, including arranging an out-of-hours GP appointment or an appointment time to attend A&E or a Minor Injury Unit.

The strikes are being held amid speculation the Government will say if it is going to accept recommendations from pay review bodies affecting public sector workers including teachers, civil servants and NHS workers.

There is speculation that the bodies have recommended rises of between 6 and 6.5 per cent. 

BMA leaders Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: “Today marks the start of the longest single walkout by doctors in the NHS’s history, but this is still not a record that needs to go into the history books.

“We can call this strike off today if the UK Government will simply follow the example of the government in Scotland and drop their nonsensical precondition of not talking whilst strikes are announced and produce an offer which is credible to the doctors they are speaking with."