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BMA junior doctor's industrial action 13 - 16 March 2023

The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced its junior doctors’ members will strike from Monday 13 March at 06.59am until Thursday 16 March at 06.59am.

This means that during that period, junior doctors will be striking at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. This is a national dispute over pay and working conditions.

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What is happening?

Trade unions representing NHS staff are in dispute with the Government over pay and conditions with a number of unions balloting their NHS members to take part in industrial action. Part of this will be junior doctors taking strike action at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust from Monday 13 March at 06:59am to Thursday 16 March 06:59am.

On all of these days, our key focus will be on providing safe care for patients who need urgent and emergency services, and those receiving inpatient care in our hospitals.

What if I have an appointment on a strike day?

We may have to postpone your scheduled appointment or procedure. Should it need to be postponed, then we will contact you directly. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as normal.

Please be patient with us whilst we work to recover our services – we will be in touch with you.

If your appointment has been postponed and you were due to come into hospital using patient transport ambulance services, please let them know.

Will emergency care be affected on strike days?

Our accident and emergency department will be open throughout the strike period and emergency care will continue to be available across all parts of the country.

It is really important that in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or their life is at risk - patients continue to come forward as normal.

As always, we encourage people to think about which is the most appropriate service for your needs, as there are a range of options to help you, such as your local pharmacy, the NHS 111 service or your GP.

Will maternity services be affected through the strike period?

All time critical maternity services will continue and if you need emergency maternity care during the strike period, then please contact our maternity services on 01284 713278 or dial 999.

Some routine appointments/procedures will need to be postponed. We will contact you directly if you are affected.

Will GP services be affected through the strike period?

GP services will be running on strike days. Please continue to attend scheduled GP appointments

Is there anything I should do now?

No. We will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action.

How long will services be impacted?

The industrial action will last from 06:59am on Monday 13 March through to 06:59am on Thursday 16 March 2023. Our services may be impacted beyond the end of the strike dates. We will contact you if your appointment or procedure needs to be rescheduled.

Thank you for your patience and understanding over this period.

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