Industrial action by senior and junior doctors will have a significant impact on our services from Tuesday 19 to Saturday 23 September, with doctors taking coordinated strike action for the first time in the history of the NHS.

Senior doctors will be taking industrial action on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 September, providing 'Christmas Day' level of cover, which means emergency services will still be covered. On 20 September, sneior and junior doctors will take coordinted strike action, with junior doctors also providing 'Christmas Day' cover.

Junior doctors will hold a full walkout from Thursday 21 until 7am on Saturday 23 September.

While we’re working hard to ensure we can cover emergency care across all four days of the industrial action, we have had to rearrange 1,794 outpatient appointments, and 144 non-urgent surgeries.

We are prioritising patients who need urgent care, including cancer patients and those who have experienced longer waits.

If your appointment or surgery is rescheduled, we will contact you directly. If you do not hear from us, please come in as planned.

Our Chief Executive Matthew Trainer said: “The ongoing strikes are costing us millions of pounds, damaging morale, and leading to longer waits for treatment.

 “Our doctors feel their skills, hard work and dedication aren’t valued.

 “I am particularly worried about our junior doctors. They are our future consultants, medical directors and CEOs. They believe they are not being treated with respect. 

 “We need meaningful negotiations and a settlement. An imposed pay award and repeated strike action isn’t tenable as the NHS heads into winter. We can’t run our hospitals like this.”

While our A&Es will remain open during the strike it’s likely they will be under considerable strain which means if you do not need emergency care you will face very long waits.

Your local pharmacist or GP can help treat a wide range of conditions and means you can get seen more quickly; and NHS 111 can advise you if you’re not sure where to get the best care. Find out more on our ‘get the right care for you’ page.

Junior doctors are a large part of our medical team and range from doctors who have recently finished medical school, to those with several years of experience. They help our hospitals run smoothly by undertaking a range of roles including ordering tests or x-rays, referring patients to other medical teams, discharging patients and reviewing sick or deteriorating patients.

Senior doctors, or consultants, have completed full medical training in a specialised area of medicine and are listed on the General Medical Council’s specialist register. They have clinical and administrative responsibilities in managing junior doctors.

After graduating from medical school, it takes a doctor between six and eight years to become a consultant.

Across the previous strikes by junior and senior doctors we have had to rearrange 9,914 outpatient appointments and 777 non-urgent surgeries. The impact of the industrial action to the end of August, including lost income, has cost our Trust £5.9m.