Patients in Birmingham and Solihull are being reminded by the NHS to use services wisely, in response to the ongoing industrial action across the country.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has confirmed that its members will be holding a strike from 8pm on Sunday 30 April to 11:59pm on Monday 1 May.

This period of strike action coincides with the bank holiday on Monday 1 May, when the NHS would usually see an increased demand on urgent and emergency care services.

The RCN’s industrial action is expected to result in a significant impact on health services across Birmingham and Solihull, with RCN members at the following NHS trusts participating in the strike:

  • Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust
  • The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

All health and care partners in Birmingham and Solihull are working together to prepare for the industrial action and are asking the public for their support.

If you are booked for an appointment, procedure or operation between Sunday 30 April and Monday 1 May which needs to be postponed, you will be contacted to confirm this and a new date will be arranged for you.

If no one has contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.

Members of the public are also asked to consider which services they use during the strike action, to help reduce unnecessary demand on our urgent care services.

Patients are reminded of the following options:

  • If you have a minor health concern, visit your local pharmacy, but please check their opening hours before visiting, as some local pharmacies may have different opening hours over the bank holiday (1 May). Find bank holiday opening hours for pharmacies in Birmingham and Solihull on the NHS England website.
  • If you have a health concern, please contact your general practice team as normal when open. When closed, such as over the bank holiday (1 May), visit 111 online at 111.nhs.uk or call 111 for any urgent health concerns.
  • If you think you need urgent dental treatment, contact your usual dentist. If you can't, or don't have one, use 111 online at 111.nhs.uk. If an urgent appointment is needed, you will be provided with details of your local out of hours service.
  • If you have an urgent health issues or you are unsure of what service might be best for your condition, call 111 or use 111 online at 111.nhs.uk.

Any patient requiring emergency medical care should continue to access services as they usually would, especially when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

Lisa Stalley-Green, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Nursing Officer at NHS Birmingham and Solihull, said: “During this period of industrial action, the safety of our patients who are most in need remains a top priority for us, and we will prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.

“Any patients who need urgent medical care should continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases.

“We are asking patients to choose services wisely during industrial action and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most.

“This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for urgent health needs and continuing to only use 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency, when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

“By ensuring you choose the most appropriate service, this will help NHS services to manage demand and ensure A&E departments can focus on treating people with serious and life-threatening conditions.

“Our staff will be working tirelessly throughout this period of industrial action to ensure patients get the right treatment, as quickly as possible, in the right place.

“We ask that you are understanding as we navigate the impact of the action, and encourage you to make the best choices for your condition, especially over the coming days.

“We also recognise that some patients may be frustrated by longer waiting times, or where appointments or procedures have needed to be rearranged.

“We apologise for any inconvenience - these are difficult decisions which have had to be made to ensure our services can continue to see those with the most urgent conditions, and we would like to assure patients that the NHS in Birmingham and Solihull is working very hard to minimise impact where possible.”

Visit the NHS UK website for more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E.