A message for our patients
** Please be aware that resident doctors in England have called off strikes which were scheduled to begin on Monday, 15 June. The British Medical Association (BMA) said the government had “made a new offer” at the last minute which would be put to its members for a vote. **
Resident doctors in England have announced further strike action. The action is part of an ongoing dispute with the government over pay, conditions and employment.
The strike is due to run from 7am on Monday 15 June until 6.59am on Friday 19 June.
Industrial action comes at a very real cost to patients and the rest of our workforce.
We will do our best to only cancel appointments where it is necessary, but we know from previous strikes that there will be some disruption to patient appointments.
Adrian Marr is Interim Chief Executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT).
He said: “We have well-established plans in place to manage any industrial action at ESNEFT.
“Our priority, as always, is to keep patients safe and to make sure the care we provide across our hospitals remains of the highest possible quality during this period.
“We will only cancel appointments where absolutely necessary. We are working hard to maintain as many services as possible, so unless you hear from us, please continue to attend your outpatient appointment, diagnostic test or planned procedure. We will contact you directly if anything changes.
“We recognise that industrial action comes with an impact, and we will reschedule any affected appointments or procedures as quickly as we can.
“It is vital that people continue to seek urgent medical care as normal, regardless of any strike action taking place. If someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk, please come forward for care immediately.”
During the strike, all other NHS staff (including consultants and other specialist doctors) will still be working, and the focus of teams at ESNEFT, and the wider NHS, will be on making sure as many services as possible continue to run safely.
We will also work closely with our partners and with the British Medical Association (BMA) to discuss any patient safety concerns and to ensure safe staffing for emergency care continues to be available.
Please choose services appropriately during industrial action. Taking simple steps to make sure care is available to patients who need it most will help. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and only using 999 if it is a serious or life-threatening emergency.
For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E, you can visit the NHS UK website.
Community services, like GPs and pharmacies, will be open as usual for help and advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is happening?
Resident doctors who are members of the BMA have voted to take strike action. We and other NHS employers have been formally notified of a period of strike action beginning at 7am on 15 June until 6.59am on 19 June.
Why are strikes happening again?
Resident doctors have already had a 33.4% pay rise over the last four years – the highest anywhere across the public sector. In March, the Government offered an even better deal which was rejected by the BMA. It included:
- An average pay rise of 4.9% this year, making resident doctors on average 35.2% better off than four years ago.
- Even higher pay rises on average for the lowest paid FY1 and FY2 doctors – at 6.2% and 7.1% respectively
- Starting pay for new graduates entering the profession standing at almost £12,000 higher than in 2022-23,
- Reform of the pay structure leading to more frequent pay rises as doctors gain more key competencies and therefore contribute to improving NHS performance and productivity.
- At least 4,000 and up to 4,500 additional speciality training posts over the next three years, with at least 1,000 of these brought forward this year to tackle training bottlenecks.
- Reimbursement of mandatory Royal College exam fees – saving doctors thousands of pounds.
- Substantial contract reforms to benefit locally employed doctors.
The Secretary of State has been clear he will honour the existing deal on the table for resident doctors if they call off strikes. It’s not too late for the BMA to come back to the negotiating table.
What do strikes mean for NHS services in my area?
The strikes announced cover resident doctors across the NHS. This means action will impact every hospital in England. We are working hard to minimise the impact this action has on patients, but this will inevitably cause disruption during the strike period, and is likely to have a longer term impact on our services due to the additional resources required to keep services going safely. Thanks to the actions of NHS staff during the period of industrial action in April, and specifically the willingness of many colleagues – including many resident doctors – to work extra shifts, the NHS managed to keep 94.1% of elective activity, compared with the same period last year.
What does this mean for care?
We all know that industrial action comes at a very real cost to patients and the rest of the workforce and this round of action comes as the NHS is managing the busy winter period. During these strikes, all other NHS staff (including consultants, GPs and other specialist doctors) will still be working. The NHS is working hard to minimise the impact on patients and make sure there are safe levels of staffing in key services patients need. However, we know from previous strikes that there will be t disruption, and we will make sure patients and the local community know how this might affect them.
What if I need urgent or emergency care?
Anyone who needs urgent care should use NHS111 online or through the NHS App to be assessed and directed to the right care for them. If you do not have internet access, then the free, 24/7 111 phone line is also available.
When someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk, you should seek emergency care in the normal way, by calling 999.
What does this mean for pre-planned appointments, tests and procedures?
We are working hard to minimise the impact on planned care. Patients with appointments booked on strike days will be contacted if their appointment needs to be rescheduled due to industrial action. If they have not been contacted, they should attend their appointment as planned.
Can the NHS provide safe services during strikes?
The NHS is working hard to minimise the risk to patient safety and has in place a clinically led process and where any safety issues identified can be raised with the BMA quickly. It’s important that patients do not put off seeking urgent care, or not attend planned appointments unless they have been told otherwise.
When will I find out if my appointment is rescheduled?
The NHS 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. We will be doing everything possible to minimise the number of patients who have planned care disrupted, so it may be the case that you do not receive very much notice of a postponement. We apologise for this unavoidable inconvenience. 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.
Should I cancel my appointment on the day of strikes?
No, if we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.
Is there anything I should do now?
Please order any prescriptions you might need in good time to avoid delays in getting your medicines or the risk of running out of medicines during strikes.
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 staff involved in delivering their care.
Will GP services be affected on strike days?
GP practices will continue to be open during the resident doctors strikes. Resident doctors who train in GP practices, known as GP registrars, may take strike action. While they are an important part of the practice team, the effective running of the practice is not dependent on them as they are considered supernumerary to the workforce of the practice. Please continue to attend your GP and dental appointments, unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
Will dentists be impacted?
Please continue to attend any dental appointments unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
What is considered an emergency?
Patients should only call 999 if seriously ill or injured, and there is risk to life. Ambulances will be dispatched where clinically appropriate. For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E, you can visit the NHS UK website.
Could other staff members strike/could resident doctors strike in a trust that has no official industrial action mandate?
Action can only be taken where the employer has been notified of strike action by the union after a ballot authorising such action at that employer. It’s unlawful to take part in ‘secondary action’ (going on strike in sympathy with others). More information is available on the rights of staff around taking industrial action.
Can staff working in a derogated area still strike?
Union members in derogated areas can still take strike action and will be protected against dismissal. Derogations are an informal agreement between unions and employers and are not legally enforceable.
However, derogations are negotiated for areas providing critical patient care. Those refusing to work in derogated services can be advised they may be committing a criminal offence if their strike action has the potential to endanger human life or cause serious bodily injury and that they should seek advice from their union.
What rights do resident doctors who are not members of the BMA have to take industrial action?
Non-union members who take part in legal, official industrial action at their employing organisation have the same rights as union members not to be dismissed as a result of taking action.
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