The British Medical Association (BMA) Junior Doctors Committee will be striking again in January after walking away from negotiations with the government.
The strike will take place from 7am on Wednesday 3 January 2024 until 7am on Tuesday 9 January 2024. These strikes may add pressure to hospital services and where necessary, trusts will cancel non-urgent appointments in order to prioritise urgent and emergency care.
West Berkshire residents may be affected by the strike actions, please find below statements from the hospitals our residents attend.
Royal Berkshire Hospital - to include West Berkshire Community Hospital. INDUSTRIAL ACTION 3-9 JANUARY 2024
Unless we contact you, please attend any appointments as planned.
Great Western Hospital Statement - Message from the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Our services will be disrupted due to industrial action by junior doctor members of the British Medical Association, between 7am on Wednesday 20 December and 7am on Saturday 23 December as well as between 7am on Wednesday 3 January and 7am on Tuesday 9 January.
While we have previously managed strike action by junior doctors, this period of industrial action occurs at a time when our services are already very busy, and we expect this strike to have a significant impact on the care we provide.
Although our urgent and emergency care services will remain open, members of the public are therefore asked to use local health services wisely during this period.
If you are unsure what to do, please use NHS 111 online in the first instance. You should continue to contact 999 in an emergency.
Additionally, the industrial action will mean we have to cancel some planned appointments. Everyone affected will be contacted directly and you should continue to attend the hospital if you do not hear from us.
Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
While we expect there to be further disruption during industrial action, it’s important that if you have an appointment but haven’t heard otherwise from us, please continue to attend as planned. If we need to reschedule appointments, we will contact you.
We expect that our Emergency Departments will remain busy during industrial action and over Christmas. People who attend and do not need to be seen at an Emergency Department, will be redirected to another more appropriate setting for your needs.
All our teams are working hard to care for you and while we understand how concerning the current situation may be, please remember to show our staff the same respect that we would expect them to show you.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Oxford University Hospitals - John Radcliffe Hospital
Junior doctors - including those at OUH - are taking industrial action from 7am on 3 January to 7am on 9 January 2024.
The January dates signify the start of the longest instance of industrial action so far.
Although we will continue to provide urgent and emergency care wherever possible, we have had to reschedule some appointments and elective (planned) inpatient and day case procedures to ensure we keep our patients who are currently in hospital safe.
To help us safely manage the impact of industrial action, some routine and non-urgent appointments and procedures, day surgery, and some elective (planned) surgery across our four hospitals in Oxford and Banbury from Wednesday 20 to Saturday 23 December have been rescheduled.
We have also had to reschedule some procedures on Wednesday 3 to Tuesday 9 January 2024.
Some appointments before and after the days of industrial action may also be affected.
All patients who are affected are being contacted directly. We never take this decision lightly, and thank you for your co-operation.
If you have not heard from us by the day of your appointment, please come to your procedure or appointment as planned. We are doing everything possible to prioritise patients with the highest clinical needs, including cancer and dialysis patients, and those who have already waited a long time for their treatment.