Cheltenham General Hospital's Accident and Emergency (A&E) department is set to undergo temporary changes this week as junior doctors begin their four-day strike action. From Sunday evening, the A&E will close at 8pm and reopen on Monday morning as a Minor Injury and Illness Unit (MIIU). Normal services are expected to resume on Friday.
NHS Gloucestershire is anticipating challenges to local health services due to the strikes, particularly within hospitals. Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram, chief clinical leadership and delivery officer at NHS Gloucestershire, acknowledges that patients may experience some disruption and apologises for any inconvenience caused. While Cheltenham's A&E services are being scaled back, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital's A&E will operate as usual throughout the strike period.
The public is urged to only attend A&E departments if their condition is genuinely life-threatening or serious. The industrial action is part of a long-standing dispute over pay between junior doctors and the government. Junior doctors' unions argue that their members have experienced a significant real-terms pay cut, with pay effectively a fifth less than in 2008 when accounting for inflation.
For patients with pre-booked appointments, NHS Gloucestershire advises attending as usual unless explicitly told otherwise. Visiting arrangements are not expected to be affected during the strike period. The NHS recommends considering alternative services such as NHS 111 online or by phone, local pharmacies, or GP surgeries for non-life-threatening health concerns.
This disruption highlights the ongoing pressure on the NHS, particularly during industrial action. Diverting non-emergency cases away from A&E departments is crucial to preserve critical capacity for urgent cases. With A&E attendances at record levels and significant waiting times in some areas, managing demand becomes even more important to patient safety and service delivery.
NHS England data shows that millions of people attend A&E each month, with a substantial proportion of these visits being for conditions that could be treated elsewhere. According to NHS sources, only 5% of patients attending A&E have life-threatening conditions, while the remainder can often be managed through alternative services. The public is encouraged to think carefully before attending A&E, and to consider contacting their GP or using NHS 111 instead.