PEOPLE are being advised to attend appointments at Salisbury Hospital during walkouts by junior doctors – unless told otherwise.

The doctors are set to go on strike from 7am on December 20 until 7am on December 23 as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.  

A second strike will run from 7am on January 3 to 7am on January 9. 

But a spokesperson for Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust said critical services would be maintained.

“During these days Salisbury Hospital will be very busy, but will continue to focus on providing safe patient care. Our teams will continue to ensure patient safety and maintain critical services,” they said.

“During these periods please consider alternatives such as NHS 111, your GP, local pharmacy; and out of hours, the Salisbury Walk-in Centre. If you are unsure about whether you should go to hospital you can visit NHS 111 online.

“Patients should only call 999 or attend A&E if it is an urgent or life-threatening health emergency. 

“Regardless of the industrial action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases and our services will be there for these people.

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“If people attend our A&E Department with a minor injury or concern please be patient as the wait may be longer than usual as critical cases will be prioritised.

“If you have an appointment at the hospital and we have not contacted you directly, please attend your appointment as planned. The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled.”