Planning for strike action taking place from 17 to 22 December

15 December 2025 - Important information for patients about resident doctor strikes

The British Medical Association (BMA) recently confirmed that resident doctors will take part in strike action from 7am on Wednesday 17 December to 7am on Monday 22 December.

Late last week, however, the BMA agreed to put a new offer from the Government to its members which, if supported, may mean that the five-day strike scheduled for this week is called off. We expect the BMA to make an announcement following the result of ballot on Monday 15 December or Tuesday 16 December.

In the event the strikes go ahead, they will impact services run by the Trust. This includes services at King’s College Hospital, Princess Royal University Hospital, Orpington Hospital, plus some services at Beckenham Beacon and Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup.

If you have an appointment at any of our hospitals on the strike days, please assume this is taking place unless you have been told otherwise, and regardless of whether the strikes are going ahead or not.

Helping us manage demand

As always, if you need medical advice but it’s not an emergency, please consider using a different service to get the care you need.

You could:

call NHS 111 or visit the NHS 111 website
make an appointment with your GP
go to a local pharmacist

In our Emergency Departments (A and E), we will assess you as quickly as we are able to. If we feel you need to stay, we will aim to treat you as soon as possible, based on the urgency of your clinical need.

If we feel you could be seen elsewhere, we will ask you to do so and advise you on the most appropriate place to go. If you then decide to stay, please be aware that you could be waiting a long time to be seen.

Please treat all staff with respect during this busy time. Thank you for your support, and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.