Hospital has to close emergency room during strike

A hospital’s emergency room will be closed for almost a week due to a strike by junior doctors.

Instead, the Cheltenham General Hospital ward will be used as a minor injuries unit between Wednesday and Tuesday 08:00 (CEST).

Emergency services would be centralised at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital during this time, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said.

It is hoped the changes will allow NHS services to prepare for industrial action and for emergency staff to gather in Gloucester “to maintain the safety of services”, the trust added.

The minor injuries unit will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. during the changes. The department will be closed overnight.

Patients scheduled for surgery, outpatient appointments or procedures between Thursday and Tuesday are advised to attend hospital as usual unless they have been given other instructions by their NHS Trust.

“Significant challenges”

However, some dates would have to be postponed to “ensure compliance with staffing requirements,” the foundation said.

Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram (Raghu), chief medical officer of NHS Gloucestershire, said: “The five-day strike will pose significant challenges to the local NHS, particularly hospital services, and we regret that there may be disruption to services for patients.”

“One Gloucestershire’s health and care partners are working closely together to ensure those who need it most continue to have access to high quality care and support.”

There will be no disruption to patient visiting arrangements, the foundation said.

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