Sussex residents urged to use ‘most appropriate’ NHS services during junior doctors strike

Sussex residents across the county have been urged to use the “most appropriate” NHS services this week after Junior Doctors have taken industrial action. The strike, which began on Wednesday (June 14) at 7am and will finish on Saturday (June 17) at 7am, has meant that there are fewer Junior Doctors working, which has affected hospital services, community health services and services at GP practices.

As a result of this, there are fewer staff available which is likely to cause some strain on NHS services. This means that Sussex residents should use the “most appropriate service for their needs” to ensure those who need help most can get it.

NHS Sussex Chief Medical Officer, Dr Dinesh Sinha, said: “Patient safety is our absolute priority. The local NHS has plans in place to limit the disruption to services as much as possible during the industrial action, however the public also need to play their part.

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“We need people to use services appropriately and in particular to save emergency services for saving lives. A&E is for life-saving emergencies and to provide urgent help for people who may have become seriously ill, for example a stroke or a heart attack.

“If you need urgent health care, that isn’t a life saving emergency, there are a range of services available including minor injury units, urgent treatment centres, and NHS 111 – please help us help you.”

For people who need urgent medical support, but are not in a life-threatening situation, help can be sought on NHS 111, by visiting several walk-in and minor injury services, or by visiting urgent treatment centres. There are a number of these services across Sussex including: