NHS England said that more than 2.4 million people attended A&Es across the country in May, the busiest month on record1. The figure was published by the NHS in late June, alongside warnings that services faced major disruption from a five-day walkout by junior doctors and from hot weather.
The strike action was due to run from 7am on Thursday 27 June until 7am on Tuesday 2 July, and was set to affect most routine care as the NHS prioritised urgent and emergency care, with consultants stepping in to cover for junior doctors, who make up 50% of the medical workforce1. Since strikes began in late 2022, more than 1.4 million inpatient and outpatient appointments have had to be rescheduled; during the most recent action in February, 91,048 inpatient and outpatient appointments were rescheduled and 23,760 staff were absent from work at the peak of the strikes1. The strikes were expected to cause widespread disruption to routine care and difficulties with discharging patients1.
The May attendance record followed the busiest ever April for diagnostic activity, with over 2.3 million tests, checks and scans carried out1. A yellow heat health alert covering most of the country came into force on Monday 24 June, and visits to the heat exhaustion page on the NHS website rose from 13,598 over the weekend of 22 and 23 June to 28,116 in the 48 hours of 24 and 25 June, an increase of 107% and an average of one visit every six seconds2.
"This new round of strike action will again hit the NHS very hard, with almost all routine care likely to be affected, and services put under significant pressure."
Why it matters for households
The NHS said people should continue to use services as they normally would when they need urgent medical help, using 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies only, and should continue to attend planned appointments unless they have been contacted to say they have been postponed1. NHS 111, on the NHS App, online or by phone, was available for other health concerns, and GP services and pharmacies could be accessed in the normal way1.
On heat, the NHS advises that heat exhaustion does not usually need emergency medical help if you can cool down within 30 minutes, but if it turns into heatstroke it needs to be treated as an emergency2. Signs listed include tiredness, dizziness, headache, feeling sick, sweating or clammy skin, cramps, fast breathing or heartbeat, a high temperature, being very thirsty and feeling weak2. The NHS advises moving someone affected to a cool place, removing unnecessary clothing, giving them a rehydration drink or cool water and cooling their skin with water, a fan or cold packs wrapped in a cloth, and to call 999 if their condition does not start to improve after 30 minutes of resting in a cool place2. To prevent heat exhaustion or heatstroke, the NHS lists drinking more cold drinks, especially if active or exercising; wearing light-coloured, loose clothing; avoiding the sun between 11am and 3pm; avoiding excess alcohol; avoiding extreme exercise; and, if inside, closing curtains, and windows if it is hotter outdoors2. More detail is in the site's health emergencies hub.
What happens next
The industrial action was scheduled to end at 7am on Tuesday 2 July1. NHS England said staff had been working to mitigate the impact, with trusts putting measures in place to maintain care for those who need it urgently and rescheduling planned appointments that could not go ahead1.
