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Strike action taking place from 11 to 15 April

31 March 2023 - Important information for patients during junior doctor strike

The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced junior doctors will take part in strike action from 7am on Tuesday 11 April until 7am on Saturday 15 April 2023.

The strike action will significantly 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.

We are working hard to make sure we can continue to provide emergency and life-preserving services on the strike days. However, to help us safely manage the impact of the strikes, we will need to postpone the vast majority of non-urgent appointments and procedures scheduled for the strike days.

Our teams will contact patients directly if we need to re-schedule your operation or appointment scheduled from 11 April to 15 April. However, if you have an appointment at any of our hospitals, please assume this is going ahead unless you have been told otherwise.

Helping us manage demand

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 https://111.nhs.uk
  • 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. Violence and aggression will not be tolerated at any time.

Thank you for your support, and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.