Junior doctors are planning to take industrial action for four days from Tuesday 11 April.
The action is likely to cause disruption to NHS services across West Yorkshire – including at Airedale Hospital – particularly as it immediately follows the Easter bank holiday, when services will already be under pressure.
What about my appointment?
We will only cancel appointments and procedures where it is necessary and will reschedule immediately, where possible. You will be contacted if your appointment or procedure needs to be postponed. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.
Visiting will continue as normal.
What if I need urgent care?
It’s important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.
Please choose NHS services wisely – if you need medical help or advice, or you are unsure about whether you should go to hospital, go to NHS 111 online unless it is a life-threatening emergency when you should still call 999.
For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E, you can visit the NHS UK website.
Mental health support will continue to be available throughout the bank holiday period. Visit https://togetherwe-can.com/mental-health/ for details of local services. For urgent help in a mental health crisis, call your local 24 hr helpline: Bradford 0800 952 1181.
Help us by being prepared
Make sure you’re prepared for the 4-day Bank Holiday weekend. Double check that you and people you care for have enough repeat medication to last through the holidays. Please order and collect repeat prescriptions in plenty of time.
Some pharmacies are open over the Bank Holiday. They can help give advice on a range of different illnesses, including coughs colds, UTIs, headaches, rashes and emergency contraception. Find a pharmacy near you.
Consider having at home a small stock of basic medicines for minor illness or injury. These may include paracetamol, plasters, indigestion remedy and anti-diarrhoeal medicine. See the NHS website for advice on what you should keep in your first aid kit.
4.4.23 Joint statement from Airedale NHS Foundation Trust and Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:
Leanne Cooper, Chief Operating Officer at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust and Saj Azeb, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“Like other hospitals throughout the country we are facing industrial action by junior doctors after the Easter bank holiday from Tuesday, 11 April for 96 hours.
“Patient safety is our priority and our clinical and operational teams are developing plans to ensure high quality, safe care can be maintained.
“All urgent and emergency care treatments are still going ahead. However, there will be a need to rearrange some operations and outpatient appointments, and anyone whose appointment or operation has been affected will be contacted. We know this is frustrating and are extremely sorry for the inconvenience. We will do our best to reschedule them as soon as possible.
“If you haven’t been told that your operation or appointment has been postponed, please attend your appointment as planned.
“During this period of industrial action, members of the public should continue to seek medical care in the usual way but we would urge them to only attend A&E departments across the district with life or limb-threatening emergencies.
“For advice about or treatment of a non-urgent condition they should visit www.nhs.uk, or go to their local GP or pharmacist. If they need medical help fast but it’s not an emergency they should go to www.111.nhs.uk or call 111.”
