31/03/2023
Please note planned strike action on Monday 3 April by UNISON, NIPSA and the Royal College of Midwives has been paused.
Industrial Action will take place on Friday 31 March (00.01 to 23:59hrs) for UNISON members. It is important to note that if you have a pre-booked appointment you should attend unless we contact you to say that it has been cancelled.
Impact on Friday 31 March
Homecare Services
It is anticipated that there will be significant disruption to Homecare service provision, particularly in the Strabane and Derry areas. The Trust will endeavour to minimise the impact to care, however it is envisaged that a normal level of service will not be maintained. If you or a family member is in receipt of Homecare, please consider alternative arrangements and support available to you. Homecare services delivered by our contracted providers are not expected to be affected.
Should an issue arise please call the local Homecare office on the following numbers: Northern Sector (Derry, Limavady, Dungiven) – (028) 7186 4385; Fermanagh (028) 6634 2414 or Strabane Castlederg and Omagh (028) 8283 5911.
The Homecare service will operate as normal on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd April
Hospital appointment and procedures
A number of Outpatient appointments have been postponed and a small number of planned procedures have also been postponed across our three hospital sites.
Day Centres and Day Opportunities
The following Learning Disability Day Centres and Opportunities will be closed on Friday 31 March: Evergreen Day Centre, Willow Group, Roe Leap, Garden Project, Fresh Focus, Omagh Centre, Lackaghboy 1, Lackaghboy 2 and EPC, Lisnaskea.
The Drumcoo Centre for Physical and Sensory Disability will also be closed on 31 March.
Laboratory Services | South West Acute Hospital
Laboratory services will also be limited at the South West Acute Hospital. The Trust’s labs will be operating a bank holiday service arrangement with capacity only for urgent samples. Our GP colleagues have been informed.
Bloods / Sample collection (Northern Sector)
Our Transport Team will collect urgent bloods samples only. Our GP colleagues have been informed.
Cleaning, Porters, Catering & Laundry Services
There will be a reduction in a number of Support Services. These services will be limited and prioritised based on supporting patient/client and staff safety. Business continuity planning arrangements are in place at each ward/department.
The Trust continues to work with Trades Union colleagues to protect our critical services and to try and minimise the impact of industrial action on our patients and service users
The Trust will continue to work with Trade Unions to try to minimise the impact of Industrial Action on our patients and service users.
Information to advise of any potential disruption will be posted and updated regularly here and on our social media channels. Please note that if you have a pre-booked appointment you should attend unless you have been contacted to say that it has been cancelled.
Current Planned Industrial Action – March and April 2023
- RCM will take full strike action for four hours on Monday 3 April from 08:00 am – 12:00 noon
- UNISON will take full strike action on Friday 31 March from 00:01 am – 11:59 pm and on Monday 3 April from 00:01 am – 11:59 pm
- NIPSA will take full strike action on Monday 3 April from 00:01 am – 11.59 pm
#HSCIndustrialAction