The nurses’ strike is set to “significantly impact” Bradford’s hospitals, one health chief has warned, amid plans to cancel some operations and appointments.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will be taking strike action at Bradford Teaching Hospitals from 8pm on Sunday, April 30, to 8pm on Tuesday, May 2.
Karen Dawber, chief nurse at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said urgent and emergency treatment will be prioritised during the strike.
People have been urged to only use A&E departments if they are facing a genuine life or limb-threatening emergency.
On days where there is strike action, patients should only call 999 if it is a medical or mental health emergency (when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk).
Anyone who has not been contacted to reschedule treatment or appointments should attend as normal.
The chief nurse said: “The RCN strike action will severely reduce the number of nurses, healthcare assistants and other colleagues from the nursing profession we have in our hospitals.
“This means that some operations and outpatient appointments will have to be cancelled and subsequently rescheduled. We know this is frustrating and we apologise to patients and families who will be affected.
Reporter @journomeek has been at Bradford Royal Infirmary this morning to speak to nurses about why they are going on strike ⬇️ #NursesStrike pic.twitter.com/zBpcuqSXDE
— Telegraph & Argus (@Bradford_TandA) December 15, 2022
“If we do not contact you, please attend your appointment as planned. We will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled or switched to a phone/online appointment."
Ms Dawber added: “Patient safety is always our priority and our patients will be kept safe and receive the care they need from us during the strike action.
“During this period we are relaxing our visiting rules to allow up to two visitors per patient at any time – more details are available from the wards.
“The dispute over pay is between the RCN and the Government, not our trusts. We value our colleagues and want to see a resolution to this national dispute as soon as possible.”
When should you go to A&E?
When assessing a trip to A&E, it is important to note that emergency departments are for accidents and emergencies. This could include severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, significant head injuries and broken bones.
People who have non-urgent health problems should visit www.111.nhs.uk, call 111, or contact their GP or pharmacist.
A&E departments may ask those who are not facing an emergency to wait a long time or be unable to provide treatment.
GP appointments and pharmacies will not be impacted by nurses' strike action, so if people require these services they can access these in the usual way.
Access to mental health hospital and community services at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust are unaffected and will remain open as normal.
Mental health support
Details of local wellbeing services across Bradford district and Craven can be found on the Healthy Minds website here.
For urgent health advice that is not a life-threatening emergency, contact NHS 111, which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. People can check symptoms using NHS 111 online – 111.nhs.uk – or by calling the service free of charge on 111.
For urgent mental health support in Bradford District and Craven, call First Response on 0800 952 1181, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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