STATEMENT BY Princess Alexandra Hospital: We are working hard to minimise disruption to services as far as possible during the upcoming periods of industrial action for junior doctors. The safety of our patients and our people remains our priority, however given the potential impact of the strike, please be aware that we expect that it is highly likely that we will have to make the difficult decision to cancel a range of appointments and elective surgery, to ensure patient safety. The impact of this is likely to be across the week Monday 13 March – Friday 17 March.

Please be assured that you can continue to access care from our emergency department (ED) and maternity services, and critical services for our inpatients.

You will be contacted if your appointment needs to be changed. Please continue to come forward for the care you need unless you have been told that your appointment has been cancelled.

The British Medical Association (BMA) have confirmed they will be taking continuous industrial action from 7am on Monday 13 March to 7am on Thursday 16 March. Any patients impacted will be contacted directly.

The HCSA has announced that its members will take industrial action on Wednesday 15 March over pay and safe staffing concerns, with HCSA members who work at PAHT taking part on these dates.

As ever, if you do not have a serious or life-threatening illness or injury, we would encourage you to call 111 for advice about which service is best for your needs.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

Your questions answered

What if I have an appointment on a strike day?
Everyone who has an appointment should attend as planned, unless we have contacted you to reschedule. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment.

I have a loved one who will be a hospital inpatient on strike day – how will their care be affected?
All hospital inpatients will be informed of how their care will be impacted on a ward-by-ward basis by the team involved in delivering their care.

When will I find out if my appointment is rescheduled?
We will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. This is likely to be a text, phone call or a letter and you should be offered an alternative date for your appointment. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.

If my appointment is rescheduled, will I be put back to the bottom of the waiting list?

Any appointments that need to be rescheduled will be done so as a priority.

Is there anything I should do now?
No, we will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action.

Should I cancel my appointment on the day of strikes?
No, if we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned. Find more information you can visit the HCSA website www.hcsa.com or BMA website www.bma.org.uk