Powys Teaching Health Board are urging patients to continue to attend their planned care appointments next week, despite the planned strike of junior doctors.

Instead, patients in Powys are told that unless the NHS contacts them to cancel, they should assume they will still be seen.

The call comes from Powys Teaching Health Board ahead of industrial action announced by junior doctors in Wales from 7 am Wednesday 21 February to 7 am Saturday 24 February, and 7 am Monday 25 March to 7 am Friday 29 March (Good Friday).

Health Boards and NHS Trusts in Wales are working hard to keep patients safe during planned strikes while delivering the best care possible. However, this does mean that some planned care appointments will need to be rearranged.

This period of industrial action does not affect hospitals in England.

The key messages from Powys Teaching Health Board for the industrial action from 7am Wednesday 21 February to 7am Saturday 24 February, and 7am Monday 25 March to 7am Friday 29 March (Good Friday) are:

Please continue to attend your planned care appointment unless we contact you to cancel this.

In a life-threatening emergency, you should continue to call 999 or attend your nearest A&E department.

Urgent care advice is available from NHS Wales Online at 111.wales.nhs.uk or by calling 111.

Useful advice to help you access the right care in the right place at the right time is available from our website at pthb.nhs.wales/helpushelpyou

The health board will continue to share updates via our social media channels and on our website at pthb.nhs.wales/service-updates