• Resident doctors to take part in industrial action from Wednesday 17 – Monday 22 December
• Healthcare help available as resources focus on prioritising emergency care and urgent services
• 111.nhs.uk provides healthcare help for symptoms

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust is preparing for a fresh round of strikes by resident doctors, which are set to take place from 7am on Wednesday 17 December until 7am on Monday 22 December.

Robust plans are being put in place to minimise the impact of strikes on patients. Patients with appointments booked on strike days will be contacted if their appointment needs to be rescheduled due to industrial action.

If patients have not been contacted, they should attend their appointment as planned. Any appointments that need to be rescheduled will be done so as a priority.

The latest round of industrial action comes as the NHS faces an unprecedented flu wave and an extremely busy start to winter for Bolton’s emergency and urgent care services at Royal Bolton Hospital.

Dr Francis Andrews, Medical Director and Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said:

We’re doing everything we can to make sure we can continue to deliver as many of our services as possible and the safety of our patients remains our highest priority.

“December has already been an incredibly challenging time with our services facing extreme pressures with high numbers of attendances in our Emergency Department and an influx of patients with flu-like symptoms. We expect flu cases to continue to rise over the next couple of weeks.

“We’re asking for Bolton’s help by only attending our Emergency Department in life or limb-threatening emergencies. You can book an appointment for our Urgent Treatment Centre, which is equipped to deal with illnesses and minor injuries, through NHS 111.

“111.nhs.uk or the NHS App is also a really helpful service for advice about your condition and where the right place is for the care you need.

“We’re also encouraging people to contact their GP for non-urgent care or to visit one of your local pharmacies, who are able to help with a range of common conditions such as earache, sore throat, and urinary tract infections.

Accessing NHS services during strike action

Throughout this challenging period, our urgent and emergency services are still here to help those who need it.

If your condition is not an emergency or life or limb threatening, please consider using a different service for your care:

• NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week either online or by phone.
• Make an appointment with your local GP.
• Visit your local pharmacy.
• Book an appointment for our Urgent Treatment Centre through NHS 111. You may also be offered a pre-booked appointment when attending our Emergency Department with a minor condition.
• Use GP out of hours by phoning your own GP surgery and following the instructions on the answering machine. Alternatively, you can phone BARDOC directly on 0161 763 8940.
• Access to urgent dental care is available for patients across Greater Manchester, supported by the Urgent Dental Care Helpline (0333 332 3800).

British sign language (BSL) users can use the NHS 111 video interpreter service by visiting their website.

Repeat prescriptions should be ordered in advance of industrial action to ensure people have enough of their regular medications.

The While You Wait website also has lots of helpful information on staying well whilst you wait for treatment.