The 72-hour walkout by doctors in training starts at 7am on Wednesday 14 June and ends at 7am on Saturday 17 June 2023.
Junior doctors make up around half of all doctors in the NHS; they are qualified doctors who have anywhere up to eight years experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.
The action will potentially affect some routine procedures and outpatient appointments which will be postponed by trusts, as the NHS prioritises emergency and life-saving care.
Dr David Crichton, chief medical officer for NHS South Yorkshire, said: “We expect the planned action to impact on a number of NHS services and so we’re asking people to please choose wisely and consider alternative options than attending A&E or calling 999, unless in an emergency.
“Across South Yorkshire the NHS will be prioritising resources to protect critical and emergency services. We expect emergency and urgent care services to be extremely busy during the industrial action so our communities are encouraged to visit NHS111 online or their pharmacy where possible.
“However, it is very important that people who need emergency medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases. We’re also asking people to continue to look out for each other in this very warm weather and keep out of the sun and as cool as possible during the day – keep windows closed and curtains drawn in the day and open them back up at night when there’s more cool air.
“If you have scheduled appointments during the strike action, please attend as planned. You will be contacted if your appointment needs to be cancelled or rescheduled.”
To make sure safe care continues to be available for those in life-threatening situations, NHS staff will be asked to prioritise emergency and urgent care over some routine appointments and procedures.
Appointments and operations will only be cancelled where unavoidable and patients should still come forward unless they are contacted. Where appointments are cancelled, patients will be offered an alternative date as soon as possible.
The NHS has said that people who need care must still access the care they need – only using 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies and using NHS 111 online and other services for non-urgent health needs.
Pharmacies and GPs are largely unaffected by the strikes so patients can still get health advice.
The NHS is also advising people to follow guidance in the warm weather, including keeping out of the sun at the hottest time of the day, covering up, drinking plenty of fluids and applying sunscreen. Older people are particularly at risk in warm weather and are advised to keep living spaces cool by closing windows, drawing curtains during the day, and opening them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. It’s also important to check the temperature of rooms where people at higher risk live and sleep.