Maternity services on strike days?

[Lk8920]

Hi

The joint consultant/junior doctor strike announced today is on my due date. I know it’s pretty unlikely that I actually give birth then anyway… but honestly pretty scared regardless. Does anyone know what sort of level of doctor cover maternity units have been running on previous strikes? I know they’ll cover emergency care - so I’m assuming EMCS if needed or neonatal - but all the guidance is much more hazy where care isn’t emergency- I guess, for example, epidural or just the general doctor cover on a labour ward.

Appreciate it may vary from trust to trust, and there’s never been a joint strike before, but I would massively appreciate any knowledge people have!

thanks

They'll be running the same service you get on Christmas Day, or other bank holidays. The midwives will be working as normal. This means they won't be doing planned csecs, and they won't schedule you in for an induction, but they will do both if it's an unplanned emergency.

I'm not sure how it will effect availability of epidural though - but I've not heard that they don't offer them as normal during bank holidays so I'd guess that would be ok too.

I was wondering this too - booked on for my elective on Tuesday for 20th.... will that likely be cancelled now? 😩

I wondered this too! I presume anything elective will be cancelled. Last time I gave birth I was immediately told on arrival they couldn't provide epidurals due to staffing so I imagine if staff are on strike they may not be available to do any? It'll be hospital dependent though.

Yes more than likely

If it's any reassurance, I was induced on New Year's Day (so a bank holiday) and found staffing fine - registrar able to access support from consultants as needed. Hope all goes smoothly for you!

Anaesthetists do epidurals, not obstetricians. In our trust, anaesthetists (consultants and juniors) have a bleep and are bleeped if a labouring woman needs an epidural, so I wouldn't imagine it would be much different during the strikes. A delay in getting an epidural would be if that anaesthetist is in theatre for an emergency section and can't leave, but it would be the case during non- strike days too.