19 December 2023

Junior doctors are taking strike action at a number of NHS trusts, including Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) from 7am on Wednesday 20 December 2023 to 7am on Saturday 23 December 2023.

A second longer strike is planned in the New Year from 7am on Wednesday 3 January 2024 to 7am on Tuesday 9 January 2024.

We are already seeing high levels of demand for urgent care including in our Emergency Department and this action will further impact services across all our sites. We would urge patients and visitors to be prepared for further disruption and delays over the coming weeks.

As always, the safety of our patients and staff remains our top priority. We continue working with our teams to ensure we have robust plans in place to ensure the safety and welfare of our patients and our colleagues, as well as looking to minimise disruption where possible.

  • Appointments -if you have an appointment with us, please attend unless you hear from us. You don’t need to call to check if your appointment is going ahead. We will be in touch directly if we need to rearrange your appointment.
  • Our Emergency Department (ED)- if you have a life-threatening emergency, our ED remains open 24 hours a day.

Our hospitals, as well as the wider local health and care system, are very busy so you may be redirected to another service if appropriate or need to wait longer than we would like to be seen.

Please continue to treat all our staff with respect and thank you for your support.

Unsure where to get urgent help - If your need is urgent, but not an emergency, please contact your GP practice as usual during opening hours or use NHS 111 Online to be assessed and directed to the right place for your needs. You can also use NHS 111 for help with an unwell child or mental health concern.

If you have an unwell child – you can get help and advice on a range on common conditions from the Healthier Together website. You can also download the app for free.

Mental health advice – the Portsmouth Mental Health Hub can help if you need someone to talk to or are unsure where to go for support with your mental health. You can call the hub on 0300 123 6621 (Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm). The hub will be open as usual over the Christmas/New Year period, apart from being closed on for the bank holidays on Monday 25 December, Tuesday 26 December and Monday 1 January.