Donneybrook Medical Centre

Industrial Action and Winter Pressures

Please see the below advice during this busy period;

  • Only call 999 if it is a medical or mental health emergency – when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk. Ambulances will still be able to respond in these situations, but this may only be where there is an immediate risk to life.
  • There will be fewer ambulances on the roads during industrial action, with the NHS prioritising those with life-threatening needs. As a result, patients whose conditions are not life-threatening are unlikely to get an ambulance on strike days.
  • It is really important that patients who need urgent or emergency medical care continue to come forward as normal during strike action.
  • During industrial action, NHS 111 call centres will have fewer staff and longer call response times are expected. For this reason, people are advised to seek help from NHS 111 online, unless their call relates to a child under 5 or they do not have internet access.
  • Hospital inpatients will be informed if their care will be impacted on a ward-by-ward basis by the staff involved in delivering their care.
  • Check that you have sufficient supply of regular medicines for the festive period. Order repeat prescriptions via your GP practice or local pharmacy and leave plenty of time as they may be busy. Please avoid using NHS 111 for this purpose.
  • The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. If you have not been contacted, please attend your appointment as planned.
  • Please continue to attend your GP appointments, unless you are contacted and told otherwise.

Date published: 21st December, 2022
Date last updated: 21st December, 2022