Health bosses at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary are urging people not to turn up at A&E except for “life or limb-threatening emergencies” when doctors are on strike.

Junior doctors are expected to strike between 7am on Thursday July 13 and 7am on Tuesday July 18 followed by consultants who will walk out on Thursday July 20 and Friday July 21. The strikes form part of a national dispute over pay.

The junior doctors’ strike is believed to be the longest single period of industrial action they have taken in the history of the NHS.

A spokesman for Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are doing our best to keep disruption for our patients and their families to a minimum, while ensuring we can continue to provide both emergency care for the most seriously ill and injured patients, as well as care for our patients on the wards.

“We may need to postpone some appointments. We will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.

“Please continue to attend your GP appointments, unless you are contacted and told otherwise. If you are expecting a baby, please continue to attend maternity services as normal.”

Huw Masson, consultant in emergency medicine and clinical director at the Trust, said: “The Emergency Department is for life or limb-threatening emergencies only.

“In the upcoming strikes staffing will be exceptionally tight and, as you would expect, we will prioritise emergencies.

“If you do not have a life or limb-threatening emergency, you will be prioritised accordingly and may be redirected to alternate services or wait a long time to be seen.”

If you need medical help or advice, go to NHS 111 online, unless it is a life-threatening emergency when you should still call 999.

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