Services at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) are preparing for industrial action this weekend.
Resident Doctors, who are part of the British Medical Association (BMA) will take part in industrial action against the Government, beginning at 7am on Friday 25th July until 7am on Wednesday 30th July.
WWL has prepared its services to minimise any potential disruption during the strike and protecting life, limb and sight-saving services will remain paramount, which includes protecting emergency treatment, intensive care, new-born care, maternity, trauma – and some limited planned care.
If you have an appointment at one of WWL’s hospitals, please attend unless you hear from the Trust. Please don’t call to check if your appointment is going ahead as the appropriate department will be in touch with you directly if your appointment needs to be rearranged.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming industrial action, WWL Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sanjay Arya OBE, said: “The safety of our patients, as always, remains our top priority and we would like to reassure the public that we have worked hard to put plans in place to ensure minimal impact on the quality and timeliness of the care you, your relative, or someone you care for receives over these days. To further help us to continue to provide safe and effective care, we urge families and friends of patients who are ready to be discharged from our hospitals to support their loved ones to recover at home. Our discharge teams are working incredibly hard to make sure this transition is safe, and recovery at home is always the best option.
“I must also ask everyone to use our services appropriately, whilst our staff continue to work hard within our hospitals and with partners from across health and social care within the Wigan Borough to meet this demand.
“Patients should not put off seeking urgent or emergency care for life, limb and sight-threatening conditions. With this said, we are once again asking people to use the most appropriate NHS services available to ensure those with the most urgent and serious needs can be seen.”
- Where else to get help from? Get to know where to go:
NHS 111:
WWL is urging members of the public to use NHS 111 Online for all non-emergency healthcare needs, in the first instance, unless the issue concerns a child under five-years-old, when they should call 111. Deaf people or people with hearing loss can dial 18001 111 on a textphone or use the Relay UK app (which can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store or Google Play Store).
NHS 111 Online can help if:
• You need help but don’t know who to call
• How to find general health information and advice
• You are ill and need to be told what to do next
• How to get an emergency supply of your prescribed medicine
Pharmacy:
Lots of illnesses can also be managed safely at home, or with a trip to a local pharmacist. There are pharmacies open late into the night and very early in the morning. Find your nearest one here: Find a pharmacy - NHS (www.nhs.uk).
Urgent dental care:
The Greater Manchester Urgent Dental Care Service is available from 8am to 10pm every day including weekends for severe dental pain and infection. People can call 0333 332 3800 to be assessed by a healthcare professional, who can provide self-care advice or book a face-to-face appointment, if needed.
Urgent eye care:
If you have a sudden and urgent problem with your eyes, you can contact a local practice to get an appointment: NHS Greater Manchester Community Urgent Eye Care Service (CUES) - Primary Eyecare Services.
Mental health:
For free urgent mental health support, people can contact the 24/7 helpline on 0800 953 0285 – it is available to anyone of any age. If there’s an immediate risk of danger to life, you should ring 999.
More information about when to call 999 and when to go to A&E is available via the national NHS website.