We expect all NHS services to be extremely busy during industrial action by resident doctors, from 17 to 22 December. Please help us to help you by seeking advice from the most appropriate service for your needs.
For many minor illnesses, you can look after yourself or a loved one at home. You can prepare to care for yourself or loved ones by keeping a range of simple medicines and first aid supplies at home. Check the advice on nhs.uk on what you might keep in a first aid kit at home (and remember always to keep it locked and out of the reach of children!)
Your local pharmacy is an excellent source of health advice from trained, professional staff, who can recommend remedies for a wide range of illnesses and injuries. You can walk in for instant help.
Your general practice will continue to be open during the resident doctors’ strikes. Please continue to attend your GP and dental appointments, unless you are contacted and told otherwise. Practices are likely to be very busy so please help the doctors, nurses and other staff by remaining calm and courteous even when they are not able to respond to you immediately.
Out of hours, if you think you may need to speak to a doctor or nurse, please visit 111 Online and provide details of your symptoms. They will direct you to the most appropriate place, either straight away or during normal opening hours, and will arrange for someone to call you to get more details if necessary.
Please don’t go to A&E unless it’s a genuine emergency which threatens life or limb. The accident and emergency department will be even busier than usual at the current time. By attending only if it is an emergency, you can play your part in helping us ensure that care goes to those who most need it. If you come to A&E with a minor condition or illness during the strike, you are likely to face a very long wait and may be sent away to an alternative service.
A&E is always there for people with serious injuries and life-threatening emergencies, like heart attacks, strokes, or severe breathing difficulties.
If you need immediate care for an illness or injury which is a threat to life or limb then please call 999.
Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and serious, life-threatening cases.
If you have a hospital or other appointment, we will let you know if it has to be postponed to a later date; we will usually offer you an alternative date in this case. Please attend as planned unless you are advised otherwise via text, phone call, letter or email.
Thanks to the actions of NHS staff during the last period of resident doctor industrial action in November 2025, and specifically the willingness of many colleagues – including many resident doctors – to work extra shifts, we were able to keep more planned activity going than during previous periods of industrial action.
Because of the predicted spike in flu directly after this period of industrial action, and its proximity to peak winter pressures, we plan to recover as effectively as possible over the weeks following the industrial action.