Double doctors' strike - what you need to know

Consultants and inferior doctors successful England are staging their archetypal associated onslaught successful the past of the NHS.

Consultants walked retired astatine 07:00 BST, and volition beryllium joined by inferior doctors connected Wednesday morning.

The British Medical Association-organised onslaught by consultants volition past 2 days, portion the 1 by inferior doctors is scheduled for three.

Emergency attraction volition beryllium covered passim - but NHS bosses said patients were inactive successful danger.

It marks an escalation of the wage quality betwixt the authorities and doctors.

People needing exigency attraction are being advised to usage accident-and-emergency units arsenic mean oregon telephone 999.

For different wellness concerns, 111 oregon GP services should beryllium utilized - though they could beryllium disrupted, arsenic immoderate inferior doctors enactment arsenic GP trainees.

Routine services, including non-emergency operations and appointments, are expected to beryllium importantly disrupted.

Patients should person been told astir immoderate postponements successful advance.

During their 48-hour walkout, consultants volition supply "Christmas Day" screen - exigency services volition beryllium staffed and determination volition beryllium immoderate basal level of screen connected the wards.

When inferior doctors articulation them connected Wednesday determination volition beryllium a akin statement for them.

Junior doctors relationship for astir fractional NHS doctors - from medics caller retired of assemblage to those sometimes with 10 years' experience.

On Thursday, erstwhile the advisor onslaught ends, inferior doctors volition signifier a afloat strike, meaning consultants volition person to beryllium drafted crossed to supply cover.

NHS England aesculapian manager Prof Sir Stephen Powis said: "The NHS has simply ne'er seen this benignant of concern enactment successful its history. It poses an tremendous challenge."

Matthew Taylor, of the NHS Confederation, said helium feared ministers were underestimating the risks of the strikes, describing the concern arsenic dangerous.

Hospitals were reporting immoderate patients were facing having treatments and appointments cancelled for the 2nd oregon 3rd time, helium said.

This is the 3rd walkout by consultants and the sixth by inferior doctors. In each case, important amounts of regular enactment has had to beryllium rescheduled.

Some hospitals person reported up to fractional their mean levels of enactment person had to beryllium enactment disconnected during the strikes.

Nearly 1 cardinal appointments and treatments, including immoderate crab care, person been postponed due to the fact that of concern enactment since December.

This includes disruption caused by walkouts by different unit groups including nurses, radiographers and ambulance workers.

But the doctors' walkouts person caused the astir disruption.

Last week, the Shelford Group, which represents 10 of the biggest infirmary trusts successful the country, warned the standard of the disruption present being seen had "inevitably heightened the hazard of harm" to patients.

But plentifulness of doctors volition proceed working.

As good arsenic BMA doctors providing authoritative screen during the strikes, these volition see specialty and specializer (SAS) doctors, betwixt the people of inferior and consultant, who marque up conscionable nether 10% of the aesculapian workforce.

What is more, astir 1 retired of each 3 doctors is not a BMA member.

It is much than 100 days since the wellness caput has sat down with BMA leaders for wage talks - and nary are planned.

Mr Barclay said this year's wage emergence was a "final and fair" colony and it met the autarkic wage reappraisal body's recommendations.

Consultants are being fixed 6%, inferior doctors an mean of 8.8% depending connected their level.

Mr Barclay besides said helium was looking astatine introducing minimum work levels successful hospitals during strikes - defining the fig of doctors, nurses, and different unit needed to screen urgent and exigency cover.

Currently life-and-limb screen has to beryllium provided, but the grade of that is negotiated locally.

The wage summation mean inferior doctors' basal wage ranges from £32,400 to £63,150, portion consultants tin gain up to £126,300.

And doctors gain astir a 4th to a 3rd much connected apical of this, connected average, for things specified arsenic unsociable hours and further work.

Junior doctors were aft a 35% increase, to marque up for what they accidental are years of below-inflation wage rises.

Consultants person not enactment a fig connected what they would similar but importune it indispensable beryllium supra inflation, to commencement restoring wage they person mislaid erstwhile ostentation is taken into account.

BMA person Dr Philip Banfield said if the authorities cared astir patients it would "reopen talks and travel to the array with a credible offer".