We're doing all we can through doctors' strike, says Shropshire nursing chief

Strike action continues until tomorrow morning and we are doing all we can to reduce the significant disruption to our services.

We, along with other healthcare organisations, are working hard at this time to deliver the best possible care.

Junior doctors who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) have been striking since last Saturday, February 24, to 11.59pm today.

Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) have been striking from Saturday to 7am on Thursday, February 29.

Wherever possible, we are running services as normal, so if you do have an appointment please attend. We will contact anybody if we need to reschedule.

If you have a life-threatening emergency, our emergency departments remain open 24 hours a day, so please continue to come forward as normal.

We are encouraging people to help in any way possible and if you do not have a life-threatening emergency please think of the other options available to you.

You can also visit NHS 111 online or call 111 if you need urgent medical help or consider visiting your local Minor Injury Unit in Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Oswestry and Whitchurch.

There is also your local pharmacy or GP. For further information about Think Which Service, which aims to help you to know where to go to get the right advice, support and treatment for your health needs as quickly as possible, visit: http://thinkwhichservice.co.uk

Research and innovation play an important role at our Trust and they contribute to advances in care locally for our community, so it is fantastic news that Blossom Lake, a Breast Surgical Specialist at our Trust, has been awarded a £150,000 research grant.

Blossom who is one of five Research Fellows at our Trust is passionate about ensuring the best outcomes for patients following a breast cancer diagnosis.

The grant awarded by the National Institute for Health Research will help with carrying out national surveys in collaboration with the charity Breast Cancer Now.

The aim of the work, which links in with Birmingham and Keele Universities, is to understand what lifestyle and behaviour change support is offered to and taken up by breast cancer survivors, and to learn what works well and what improvements could be made.

The study will aim to provide key information for NHS services on how best to tailor support to people who have had breast cancer.

Her research could help with the improvements in the support we offer for patients.

In addition to this, Blossom has built up a seldom heard voices community with voluntary partners to address issues around stigma linked to breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and survival.

We are always looking at ways to improve the care we offer and we are developing our Patient and Carer Experience Strategy.

Have you accessed our services recently or did you attend with someone who is important to you? Then, we would like to hear from you.

We are asking patients, the people important to them and carers what is important when using our hospital services, and their views will form the strategy.

The strategy will be implemented this year and will cover the next five years. It will detail any improvements, projects and areas of concern highlighted during the consultation.

The survey will be running until Sunday, March 31, 2024. The results of the surveys will then identify priorities and support wider focus group discussions to take place in April.

You can give your views in the survey here: https://gthr.co.uk/8848