Basingstoke Hospital under 'incredible pressure to provide safe care' as junior doctors go on strike
Dr Nick Ward, the interim Chief Operating Officer at the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust speaks to ITV Meridian from Basingstoke.
The Chief Operating Officer at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust has revealed he is 'concerned' over the level of care staff can provide without their full workforce as junior doctors begin their longest strike to date.
Junior doctors are walking out from 7am today (3 January) until 7am on Tuesday 9 January.
Strikes will impact almost all routine care, with consultants covering other wards as the NHS prioritises urgent and emergency cases.
At the Queen Anne Hospital in Portsmouth, a critical incident has been declared as staff deal with the pressure.
Dr Nick Ward, the interim Chief Operating Officer at the Hampshire Foundation Trust said: "The junior doctors are a vital part of our workforce in our normal day to day situation, and at the busiest time of year, the hospital operating without that workforce does put us under incredible pressure to ensure that we can continue to provide safe care to our patients.
"What always happens in these situations is we have to focus on the most urgent and immediate care needs, so the emergency departments and acute admissions will always require us to ensure we are safely staffing those areas.
"The knock-on effect of that is that we have had to cancel a significant number of outpatient appointments and non-urgent surgery so that we can cover the areas of most need."
The NHS has warned that the strike, which could see up to half of the medical workforce in England walk out, could lead to “the most difficult start to the year the NHS has ever faced”.
It said emergency and urgent care will be prioritised during the strikes and almost all routine care will be affected.
Patients are being urged to still come forward to seek care if they need it.
But one junior doctor has told ITV Meridian they feel they have no other choice than to walk out.
Milo Simpson has been working as a junior doctor for two years and took to the picket lines at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
He said: "Obviously none of us want to have to be out here doing this.
"It's unfortunate it has come to this, but we could see this coming for a little while now.
"The feeling amongst junior doctors now, is that this is the only way we can get the Government to listen to us.
"The Government, we feel, are not appreciating the recruitment and retention crisis we are facing within the NHS, especially with junior doctors who are leaving the NHS in unprecedented numbers.
"It's just not sustainable and something has to change."
Milo Simpson, Junior doctor and BMA representative
The advice for patients is to only call 999 or attend the Emergency Department if it is a medical or mental health emergency.
People who attend an Emergency Department when it is not a medical or mental health emergency, will be redirected to another more appropriate setting to allow hospitals to provide emergency care for those who need it.
People are urged to use NHS 111 online for urgent medical advice or call 111 if you’re unable to access the online service.
You can also visit your local pharmacy, Urgent Treatment Centre or your GP Practice if you need advice or help that isn’t life-threatening.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...
A Hampshire Hospitals spokesperson said: "If you have an appointment but haven’t otherwise heard from us, please continue to attend as planned. If we need to reschedule appointments, we will contact you.
"We are also asking the public to help us by getting friends and relatives home when they are well enough to leave hospital.
"By helping transport friends and family home, you help us free up space within our hospitals more quickly.
"Over the past few weeks, some of our hospitals and services have already had to take serious measures to cope with the number of patients they are seeing come forward and protect levels of patient safety.
"This has at times meant that patients have had to wait longer than we would like or be redirected to different services.
"We would like to thank our communities for their patience and our staff for their dedication and hard work throughout."