Emergency, urgent and critical care will be prioritised by the NHS this week as strike action by junior doctors across the capital risks major disruption of services, with thousands of patients facing postponements to routine care.

Industrial action by junior doctors who are part of the BMA and the HCSA is set to begin on Tuesday 11 April at all trusts in London, until the morning of Saturday 15 April.  This comes immediately after the four-day bank holiday weekend, a time which is already challenging for the NHS.

During this week, the NHS will prioritise resources to protect emergency and critical care, maternity care and where possible prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.

However, with junior doctors making up around half of all doctors in the NHS, the action is expected to see some of the most severe strike disruption to NHS services to date and have a huge impact on the drive to reduce waiting lists for elective care.

Dr Chris Streather, Medical Director for the NHS in London, said:

“The NHS has been working incredibly hard to limit the impact of industrial action in the capital this week and I’d like to thank my colleagues for their exceptional efforts. We tend to see an increase in hospital attendances directly after a long weekend and our services will be extremely busy this week.

“We have no option but to prioritise emergency and critical care as a matter of patient safety, and we’re asking the public to help us and use 111 online as well as local services like general practice and pharmacies as first points of call, but people should of course always use 999 in a life-threatening emergency.”

Previous industrial action by junior doctors lasted for three days and saw around 5,700 staff off each day and approximately 49,500 hospital appointments rescheduled across London. With the strike lasting four days this week, the NHS is expecting a greater number of appointments to be impacted in the capital. However, it is important that Londoners still attend planned appointments unless advised otherwise.

The NHS is also asking the public to play their part by taking simple steps during industrial action to look after themselves, loved ones and checking in on vulnerable family members and neighbours.