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Upcoming strike action

29 September 2023 - Important information for patients during consultant, junior doctor, radiographer and transport strikes

Consultant, junior doctor and radiographer strikes

The British Medical Association (BMA) recently confirmed that hospital consultants and junior doctors will strike from 7am on Monday 2 October to 7am on Thursday 5 October. The Society of Radiographers (SoR) also announced that its members will strike from 8am on Tuesday 3 October to 8am on Wednesday 4 October.

This 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 anticipate we will need to postpone a high number of non-urgent appointments, scans and procedures scheduled for the strike days.

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

Transport strikes

Strike action across the transport network is also taking place. Members of the rail union ASLEF will take strike action on Saturday 30 September and Wednesday 4 October. They will also not be working overtime on Friday 29 September and from Monday 2 October to Friday 6 October (inclusive).

Thameslink, Southeastern and Southern rail providers are also advising severe disruption on 30 September and 4 October.

In addition, members of the RMT union on the London Underground will strike on Wednesday 4 October and Friday 6 October. Buses and Overground services are expected to run as normal but will be busier than usual.

If the transport strikes go ahead, we recognise that some patients and visitors are likely to experience difficulty accessing our hospital sites. If you think you will be unable to attend your appointment, please contact our teams using the number on your appointment letter. We will do our very best to help you.

We would urge all patients and visitors to our hospitals to plan your journey in advance, and to use alternative methods of transport. The roads will also be busier, so if you are planning to drive, please allow extra time for your journey. It is also important to stress that car parking for patients and visitors is extremely limited at our hospitals.

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 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.