Local people urged to choose healthcare services wisely during upcoming industrial action by junior doctors

The Mid Yorkshire NHS Teaching Trust is appealing to local people to make informed decisions about their healthcare needs ahead of planned industrial action this week.

The junior doctors’ strike will run for five days from 7am on Saturday 24 February to 11.59pm on Wednesday 28 February.

The trust, which runs Pontefract Hospital, Pinderfields Hospital and Dewsbury District Hospital, is asking local people to think about the best place to seek treatment during the strike action, to ensure they receive the appropriate care.

Richard Robinson, Chief Medical Officer at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, said:

During this period of strike action around half of the doctors we usually have available in the trust will not be available to work. Our medical teams remain as committed as ever to helping those who require urgent medical care due to serious illness or injury, or because their life is at risk. This means the doctors staffing our emergency departments will as they always do need to treat those patients with severe illness and injury first, which could result in long waits for those with less serious conditions.

Medical conditions that are not an emergency can be treated by other healthcare providers such as GPs and local pharmacies. These services will be able to provide you with advice and treatment without you having to wait in the Emergency Department.

Wherever possible, people should call the NHS 111 service before coming to our Emergency Department. NHS 111 call handlers are trained to help ensure you get the right treatment in the right place at the right time.

Unfortunately, some outpatient appointments and elective operations have been postponed to ensure we can provide urgent and emergency care to those who need to most. If you have an appointment or procedure due to take place in our trust, please do attend unless you are contacted to rearrange.