How you can help during next resident doctor strike

Resident doctors will be on strike again from 7am on 17 December until 7am on 22 December.

NHS organisations have plans in place to ensure emergency care is prioritised, but local people are being asked to support by:

• Attending hospital and GP appointments unless they are told otherwise by their general practice or hospital
• Helping friends and family be discharged from hospital by giving them a lift home, making sure they have essential shopping and important items like clothing and a key
• Treating themselves at home for less serious conditions. Information about self-care is available on the NHS website
• Choosing the right NHS service for their needs, such as their local pharmacy, GP or urgent treatment centre
• Visiting NHS 111 online or phoning 111 if they need medical help now but are not sure what to do
• Only attending A&E if it is a life-threatening emergency
• Being kind to staff.

Dr Dave Briggs, Executive Director of Outcomes (Medical) at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said: “There are a range of NHS services available for different needs, such as pharmacies, urgent treatment centres and mental health crisis support. If you’re not sure which service is best, please visit NHS 111 online or call 111 to be directed to the right place.

“If you have a family member or friend in hospital, you can help them to be discharged quickly by giving them a lift home and making sure they have essential shopping and important items like clothing and a key.”

Manjeet Shehmar, Medical Director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We recognise that the up-and-coming industrial action may cause some disruption in our hospitals, but patient safety is our highest priority and we have well-tested plans in place to ensure we can continue to deliver urgent and emergency care to those who need it.

“We aim to continue with planned appointments, and so unless you are told otherwise, please attend as planned. 

“Our A&E will also continue to be open as normal, though we know that there may be added pressure in this area. It is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases. If your condition is not urgent, please think carefully about whether you can seek care from other NHS services such as NHS 111, your local pharmacy or urgent treatment centres.”

Find out more about other NHS services:

NHS 111

There are a range of services available to help. Visit NHS 111 or phone 111, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for advice, appointments, or to get directed to the most appropriate service.

Pharmacy

Local pharmacies can help with less urgent conditions and may be able to offer treatment and some prescription medicine without you needing to see a GP (this is called Pharmacy First).

Conditions they can treat through Pharmacy First are:

• earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
• impetigo (aged 1 year and over)
• infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
• shingles (aged 18 years and over)
• sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
• sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
• urinary tract infections or UTIs (women aged 16 to 64 years).

Some pharmacies open late (until midnight) and at weekends. Find out more about pharmacies near you on the ICB website.

Self-care

There is also self-care information to help you manage common conditions such as minor burns and scalds, conjunctivitis, constipation and cystitis on the ICB website. The NHS website also has helpful information about different health conditions.

Children’s health and wellbeing

Find advice for worried parents, covering common illnesses and when to seek treatment for your baby or child. This covers conditions such as chickenpox, asthma, earache, scarlet fever and many more.

Mental health

If you need mental health support or are in crisis, you can call 111 (option 2) to be directed to the right support. You can also find information on mental health services and support.

Nottinghamshire Crisis Sanctuaries can help you with support, information and guidance if you are over 18 years old and experiencing mental health issues or in a mental health crisis.

You can just drop in to one of the sanctuaries for more information:

• Beeston: 318 High Road, NG9 1EJ: 6pm to 11pm Monday to Sunday
• Mansfield: top of St John Street, NG18 1QJ: 4pm to 9pm Monday to Sunday
• Worksop: Hardy Street, S80 1EH: 5pm to 10pm Wednesday and Sunday
• Nottingham City: the Wellbeing Hub, 73 Hounds Gate, NG1 6BB: 6pm to 11pm Monday to Sunday.

General practice

Contact your General Practice team about symptoms that aren’t going away. They can offer telephone, online, or face-to-face appointments with a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional, depending on what your health concern is. Remember, your GP is open until 6.30pm and if you need help out of hours, please visit NHS 111 online or call 111.

Urgent treatment centres

You can visit your local Urgent Treatment Centre for sprains, fractures, minor burns and skin infections:

• Nottingham – The NHS Urgent Treatment Centre (next to the BBC building) is open every day from 7am to 7pm. Seaton House, London Road, Nottingham, NG2 4LA. Call 0115 883 8500
• Newark – Newark Hospital is open every day 8am to 10.30pm (last patient seen at 9.30pm). Boundary Road, NG24 4DE.

Dental care

For urgent dental care, you can call your local NHS dentist, contact NHS 111 or visit the ICB website for a list of practices offering urgent dental appointments.