Warning as Cheltenham General Hospital announces major changes amid strikes

A hospital’s A&E will switch to a daytime-only Minor Injury and Illness Unit (MIIU) while doctors strike.

Cheltenham General Hospital’s A&E will close on Sunday at 20:00 BST and then reopen on Monday as a MIIU. Normal overnight services will resume on Friday, when the department reverts back to an A&E.

The four-day strike action is the latest in a long-running dispute over pay between resident doctors and the government.

Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram, chief clinical leadership and delivery officer at NHS Gloucestershire, said: “The strike is likely to pose significant challenges to the local NHS, particularly hospital services.”