August 2023 NHS in Sussex advice and information for patients and the public during NHS doctors industrial action

Our colleagues at Sussex Health and Care have shared the following advice for the public during upcoming industrial action.

People are being urged to continue to support the NHS during the junior doctor strike by using the right health service to meet their needs, and help to ensure emergency care is available for those in most need.

The British Medical Association has confirmed that junior doctors in Sussex will be taking industrial action from 7am on Friday, 11 August until 7am on Tuesday, 15 August.

The NHS in Sussex is thanking people for their support during the several periods of industrial action seen so far this year, and acknowledging the positive impact that the public had over these strikes by choosing the most appropriate service if they needed NHS help and support.

However, people are now being urged to take this action again with NHS leaders warning of the impact of the latest strikes will be very challenging for local services, especially with the school summer holidays underway, when staffing rotas are traditionally already lower.

Patient safety will be prioritised, and health and care partners are working together to ensure that critical services will continue to be available.

Planned appointments and clinics are likely to be affected; however, people should continue to attend their appointments unless they are contacted directly by the NHS.

Patients do not need to contact their NHS service or team in advance, the team will contact patients directly if an appointment needs to be rescheduled.

Delays are expected for those patients who attend emergency departments, but do not have time-critical or life-threatening conditions.

Local people are being asked to take the following actions:

• Choose the most appropriate NHS service for needs and only use 999 and A&E or Emergency Departments for serious or life-threatening emergencies.
• For anything that isn’t a life-saving emergency, use an alternative NHS service and to use NHS 111 first either online or by phone.
• Know it may take longer than expected to be seen and treated.
• Collect family and friends from hospital as soon as they are ready to be discharged.
• To stay away from hospitals if showing the symptoms of flu or COVID-19 (or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19), unless it is an emergency.

Read the latest advice from the NHS: https://www.sussex.ics.nhs.uk/people-urged-to-support-nhs-this-week-as-it-braces-for-latest-industrial-action/