Advice for our patients
This Trust has been working hard together with our healthcare partners in the Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Groups, Locala and local authorities to ensure we continue to be able to deliver safe care during Tuesday and Wednesday where emergency cover has also been withdrawn for the first time.
This is a huge challenge for us and for all our partners right across our healthcare patch as it is everywhere nationally.
We have tried to keep disruption for our patients and their families to a minimum yet, with regret, we have had to cancel some appointments to ensure we can continue to provide both emergency care for the most poorly and seriously injured patients as well as care on the wards for our patients.
Here we have reproduced advice from NHS England to provide you with extra information you may need.
Be prepared
If you have a long-term health condition or you look after someone else – including, for example, elderly people or young children – it's important that you know what to do if you need the NHS during the industrial action.
Apart from your GPs (and locally they are being encouraged to add extra slots and provide more urgent appointments) or hospital, there’s a range of other primary care services that can offer help, such as your pharmacist, dentist or optician. There are also specific services provided by midwives, health visitors and specialist nurses – check you know how to contact anyone you might need to talk to.
If you need regular medication for yourself or someone you care for, be sure to get the prescription from your GP and collect the medicine from your pharmacist.
If you are pregnant, make sure you know how to contact your midwifery team if you need help or advice. If you are near your due date, check arrangements with your maternity unit.
Planned treatment and outpatient appointments
If you have a planned operation, procedure or outpatient appointment on a day when industrial action is taking place, we will have/will be contacting you if the appointment needs to be rearranged. If you have not been contacted by the hospital please attend as usual.
Inpatients will be told if any changes to their planned treatment are needed because of the strike.
GPs
Your GP practice will be open and working as normal during the industrial action. GPs, however, may experience greater demand than normal over this period, so contact them early if you need advice or an appointment.
A&E
If you need emergency care, our Accident and Emergency departments will be open to deal with serious and life-threatening conditions.
Alternatives to A&E
If you have a non-urgent condition and need advice, please try other healthcare providers such as pharmacies. For conditions that you believe you can’t take care of yourself, you should contact your GP as usual, or call 111.
