NHS medical services will be affected
Royal Stoke University Hospital(Image: Pete Stonier / Stoke Sentinel)
NHS bosses have issued a warning to anyone requiring medical attention today (November 14). The alert comes as resident doctors – formerly called junior doctors – prepare to launch a five-day walkout from Friday morning.
It follows the collapse of negotiations between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Government. Royal Stoke University Hospital and Stafford’s County Hospital will both be impacted by the industrial action.
NHS England has urged the public to continue using 111 for medical advice – or 999 in life-threatening emergencies. An update on the organisation’s official X account reads: “From Friday and into next week, some NHS services will be affected due to strike action. Please continue to come forward for NHS care. If you need urgent medical help, use 111, and if it is a serious or life-threatening emergency, please call 999.”
The University Hospital of the North Midlands – which runs the hospital – has stressed that consultants, specialist doctors and all other NHS staff will continue to work. It will prioritise life-saving and emergency care meaning that less urgent cases may experience longer waits, and some appointments or procedures may need to be rescheduled. UHNM has pledged to ‘continue to work closely with the BMA to ensure patient safety is protected and safe staffing levels are in place for emergency and urgent care’.
And it has asked patients to continue to attend their appointments unless they have been contacted to reschedule.
Dr Mark Poulson, UHNM’s deputy chief medical officer, said: “Thanks to the dedication of NHS staff during the last period of industrial action in July 2025 — including many resident doctors who volunteered for extra shifts — UHNM was able to maintain more planned activity than during previous strikes.
“With an expected rise in flu cases following this period of action, and in preparation for peak winter pressures, UHNM is focusing not only on maintaining performance during the strikes but also on recovering services as quickly as possible afterwards.
“Our emergency department at Royal Stoke University Hospital will remain open 24 hours a day for anyone who needs it. If someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk, please continue to come forward as normal or call 999. For urgent but non-life-threatening needs, please use NHS 111 online as the first point of contact they can direct you to the most appropriate service.”
The ongoing dispute between the BMA and ministers has already resulted in 12 previous strikes.
Last week, the BMA turned down a new proposal from Health Secretary Wes Streeting, which included covering mandatory exam costs and Royal college membership fees. The Health Secretary had also pledged to accelerate the expansion of training places beyond the original timeline.
Mr Streeting has insisted he will not reopen pay negotiations after resident doctors secured salary increases totalling nearly 30 per cent over the past three years. However, the BMA maintains that despite these rises, resident doctors’ salaries remain a fifth lower than 2008 levels when adjusted for inflation.
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