Disruption lies ahead as resident doctor strike action set to affect East Cheshire NHS Trust services

The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced a five-day walkout of resident doctors from 7am on Friday 25th July to 7am on Wednesday 30th July.

Previously known as junior doctors, the walkout will result in significant service disruption across all East Cheshire NHS Trust sites including Macclesfield, Knutsford and Congleton hospitals.

As with previous strikes we urge our public to be mindful about visiting ED and only attend in the event of an emergency.

Dr John Hunter, Chief Medical Officer for East Cheshire NHS Trust said: “We are working closely with partners to ensure appropriate plans are enacted to deal with this severe disruption.

“During the resident doctor strikes, we are hoping to maintain as much planned activity as possible to minimise the disruption to patients.”

The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled. If you have not been contacted, please attend your appointment as planned.

During the upcoming industrial action, we would like to urge local residents to only call 999 or attend our Emergency Department in a life-threatening emergency. Typical emergencies include cardiac arrest, loss of consciousness, fits that are not stopping, breathing difficulties, severe bleeding, allergic reactions and serious head injuries.

For non-urgent concerns, please seek help from NHS 111 online, or contact your GP and pharmacist.

ENDS

Notes for editors

• For further information about East Cheshire NHS Trust, contact the Trust press office on 01625 663935.
• East Cheshire NHS Trust is the main provider of acute and community health services for people across East Cheshire. The Trust is based at Macclesfield District General Hospital and also manages Congleton War Memorial Hospital and Knutsford and District Community Hospital.
• Follow East Cheshire NHS Trust on Twitter for all the latest news: @EastCheshireNHS
• East Cheshire NHS Charity goes above and beyond standard Government funding to make your local NHS that extra special. From supporting staff health and wellbeing to providing toys to brighten up our young patients’ days to making long stay patients feel more at home – our mission is to make a visible difference. You can make a donation to the charity on JustGiving here.