As with previous action in November, temporary arrangements will be in place to ensure patient care remains safe and fully supported throughout this period. The Trust is urging patients and the public to continue using Bassetlaw Hospital as normal. Urgent and emergency care, appointments and planned services should be attended exactly as usual.
Bassetlaw is a growing area, with more people choosing to live and work locally. It is right that patients expect the highest level of care if they become seriously unwell, delivered by professionals with the right skills and experience.
The Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU) at Bassetlaw Hospital plays a vital role in caring for the most critically ill patients and in supporting the resilience of wider services, including Urgent and Emergency Care and Maternity. To continue doing this safely, ITU colleagues must maintain up-to-date clinical skills through regular exposure to the most complex and critically unwell patients.
Bassetlaw Hospital serves a smaller population than Doncaster Royal Infirmary and, as a result, sees fewer of the sickest patients. National guidance, alongside a recent peer review of intensive care services across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, highlights that ITU teams must have a minimum level of regular exposure to very unwell patients to maintain essential skills and competencies safely.
For this reason, the Trust has proposed a planned, short-term rotation. Under this arrangement, ITU nursing colleagues based at Bassetlaw would spend eight weeks per year at Doncaster Royal Infirmary within a 12-month cycle, with Doncaster colleagues also rotating into Bassetlaw. The distance between the two sites is around 18 miles, a journey of approximately 30 minutes.
This reciprocal approach supports clinical development, shared learning and teamwork across hospitals, and is the most practical and clinically effective way to safeguard the long-term future of critical care services in Worksop and surrounding areas.
Rotation between sites is not new within DBTH. Several other clinical teams already work across Bassetlaw Hospital, Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Montagu Hospital as part of routine service delivery. Benchmarking with other NHS providers also shows that similar arrangements are common elsewhere, often involving significantly longer travel distances.
The Trust has held several months of discussions with colleagues and trade union representatives to try to reach agreement. DBTH has put forward what it believes is a fair and supportive offer, including a clear rotation pattern, reimbursement of mileage, and flexible arrangements wherever possible for colleagues with caring responsibilities.
While the Trust respects the right to take lawful industrial action, it is important to be clear that flexibility in supporting patient care where the need is greatest is essential to keeping services safe, particularly during the busy winter period. The Trust cannot accept arrangements that could compromise patient care or service resilience.
We also firmly reject any suggestion that these proposals represent a move toward reducing or removing services at Bassetlaw Hospital. This is incorrect. DBTH has invested record amounts into Bassetlaw Hospital in recent years, and our commitment to local services remains unwavering. This proposal is about protecting, not undermining, critical care in Worksop.
During the period of strike action from 15 to 19 December 2025, patients should continue to use Bassetlaw Hospital as normal. The Trust remains focused on maintaining safe services and continues to engage constructively with colleagues to secure a safe, resilient and sustainable critical care service for the communities of Bassetlaw and Doncaster.