Cheltenham A&E to close over bank holiday weekend amid strikes and staff shortages

Cheltenham Hospital's Accident and Emergency department is temporarily closed Credit: PA Images

The A&E department at Cheltenham Hospital will be closed throughout the bank holiday weekend.

People are being told to go to Gloucester Royal Hospital's A&E department while the closure is in place. It will run from 8pm on 28 April to 8am on 2 May.

NHS Gloucestershire announced the closure ahead of nursing strikes over the weekend.

Despite the bank holiday Monday strike being called off after being ruled unlawful in the High Court, the closure will still run throughout the entire bank holiday weekend.

When is the nursing strike?

Nurses will walk out at 8pm on 30 April and will finish just before midnight on 1 May.

Members of the UK's biggest nursing union, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), announced plans for their latest strike after they voted to reject the latest 5% pay offer from ministers earlier this month.

The walkout is set to include nurses from intensive care, emergency and cancer units, and was originally planned to take place over the bank holiday weekend from 8pm on 30 April until 8pm on 2 May.

Nurses striking outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary Credit: PA Images

However, the High Court ruled that the planned nurses' strike on 2 May would be unlawful, after Health Secretary Steve Barclay pursued legal action against the RCN.

The government took the RCN to court over its next planned 48-hour walkout, claiming its end date of 2 May extended beyond the union's six-month mandate for strike action.

NHS Gloucestershire bosses are urging people to only access the department or 999 if their condition is "life-threatening or very serious".

They say it is important people follow advice as strikes are set to pose "substantial challenges" to patient care.

Disruption to minor injury and illness units and planned care appointments also expected on RCN strike day and means the NHS will have to significantly reduce other services to enable available staff to be redeployed.

People are advised to use the local minor injury unit's phone line - 0300 421 7777 or 111 to check availability and to book appointments.

During the industrial action, the NHS says community physical health and mental health services will be prioritised to ensure patients most in need are supported.

This will include the continued provision of mental health crisis, palliative and end-of-life care and any time-sensitive, complex community care for vulnerable adults and children.