unior medical doctors are starting a five-day strike on Thursday in what's being known as the longest walkout of its form in NHS historical past.

Members of the British Medical Association in London will mount picket traces from 7am till Tuesday amid the persevering with dispute over pay within the NHS.

Unite employees at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London may also be on strike on Thursday for 48 hours over pay.

BMA leaders urged the Government to return to the negotiating desk in a bid to resolve the long-running row, which has already led to a sequence of strikes and 1000's of cancelled operations and consultations.

NHS London is warning of “significant disruption” throughout the capital.

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During the strikes the NHS will prioritise emergency, crucial and maternity care and the place attainable sufferers who've waited the longest for elective and most cancers surgical procedure.

Londoners are urged to take care of themselves and their family members and to test in on weak relations and neighbours forward of the motion.

Dr Chris Streather, medical director for the NHS in London, mentioned: “As we enter the eighth month of industrial action I’d like to thank everyone in the NHS in London for working so hard to limit the impact of strikes on patients.

“We have prepared extensively, but the combined impact of a five-day junior doctor strike, following by a 48-hour consultant strike means that we are expecting all services to be very busy.

“People with life-threatening conditions should always call 999 but we ask Londoners to contact NHS 111 and use their pharmacy and GP practice as a first point of call for care.”

The strike by junior medical doctors – who make up nearly half of the NHS workforce - is the longest single interval of business motion by medical employees within the historical past of the well being service.

Consultants will proceed to offer all emergency companies however routine companies might be affected.

People who want care ought to nonetheless come ahead within the typical approach – solely utilizing 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies and NHS 111 for non-urgent well being wants.

Pharmacies and GPs are unaffected by the strikes so sufferers can nonetheless get appointments and well being recommendation.

NHS Providers has urged each side to renew talks in a bid to move off extra industrial motion.

The organisation has been contacted by greater than 100 chief executives and chairs of NHS trusts who've “deep concerns about the lasting legacy” of the strikes.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief govt of NHS Providers, mentioned: “The impact of these disputes is fraying the fabric of the NHS, held together by a unique sense of commitment and shared endeavour across the workforce that has served it so well over so many years.

“We lose that at our peril.

“The disruption for many thousands of patients and the potential harm of delaying their treatment is a huge and growing risk for the NHS to manage.

“Trusts will hardly have time to draw breath after a five-day walkout by junior doctors before consultants strike for two days, followed by a two-day strike by radiographers.

“The domino effect of repeated waves of industrial action is eroding the fundamental relationship between trust leaders and their staff.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman mentioned: “We value the work of NHS staff and further strike action will be hugely disruptive for patients, put pressure on other staff and impact our efforts to cut waiting lists.

“More than one million eligible NHS staff received their pay rise and one-off payments last month and the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by over £2.4 billion government funding, will deliver the biggest training expansion in history, while recruiting and retaining hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years.

“We hope other unions who remain in dispute with the Government recognise it is time to stop industrial action and move forward together. We cannot negotiate in good faith if strike action is ongoing.”