A&E not accepting most ambulances during strike

The BBC understands St Thomas' Hospital will only accept "blue light" arrivals on Sunday and Monday

The A&E department at St Thomas' Hospital in Westminster will effectively be closed to all but the most serious admissions by ambulance this bank holiday weekend, the BBC has learned.

Those attending a meeting this morning were told the hospital will only accept "blue light" arrivals on Sunday and Monday, due to serious staff shortages amid the upcoming nurses strike.

During the strike, which takes place from 30 April to 1 May, nurses in the Royal College of Nursing union will not be providing emergency care in A&E - unlike during previous action.

It is understood an estimated 70 ambulances that would usually arrive at St Thomas' will instead go to hospitals in north-east London, as nurses there won't be on strike.

The strike is also set to affect emergency departments across south London including at St George's Hospital in Tooting and King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill.

In north London, University College Hospital in Euston will be impacted, and nurses at St Mary's in Paddington and at Charing Cross are joining the strike too.

It is believed these hospitals have indicated they may not be able to take the extra ambulances that would have gone to St Thomas'.

The potential hospitals that could receive the extra ambulance patients include the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, Newham Hospital and Whipps Cross, all in north-east and east London.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust said: “Strike action by the Royal College of Nursing and Unite unions will affect services across our hospital and community services from 20:00 BST on Sunday 30 April to 07:00 on Wednesday 3 May.

“We currently anticipate that our emergency department (A&E) at St Thomas' Hospital will be running a significantly reduced service during this period and we will be directing patients to other healthcare services where appropriate.

"We will be working closely with partners organisation to help us manage the impact of this."

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