Public urged to use NHS services wisely during nurses strike
This article was taken from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/04/use-nhs-services-wisely-during-nurses-strike/
The public is being urged to use NHS services wisely during a nurses’ strike to minimize disruptions and delays in patient care.
- The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members in more than 100 NHS organizations are planning to take strike action from 8 pm to midnight on Monday, making it the widest nursing strike to face the NHS.
- The NHS is warning that despite positive and ongoing discussions over the weekend, patients can still expect disruptions and delays in services during the strike period.
- Some safety critical mitigations have been agreed upon during discussions with the RCN to ensure that staff can provide direct patient care in areas like neonatal ICU, pediatric ICU, intensive care, and emergency departments.
- Patients are advised to use NHS services wisely during the strike period, with those needing non-urgent care encouraged to use pharmacies and 111 online as the first point of contact. For life-threatening emergencies, they should seek help as usual by dialing 999.