Services at Kingston Hospital will be significantly impacted by junior doctors' strike action taking place from 7am on Thursday 13 July until 7am on Tuesday 18 July, followed by a consultant doctors strike from 7am on Thursday 20 July until 7am on Saturday 22 July.

A statement from the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust says anyone whose appointment needs to be cancelled due to strike action will be contacted and appointments will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

It adds: "People should continue to attend appointments as planned unless they are told otherwise.

"It is important that people continue to come forward for urgent care during the strike action, especially in an emergency and in life-threatening cases."

Tracey Moore, chief operating officer at Kingston Hospital, said: "Our staff are working hard to minimise the disruption that these strikes will cause to care and treatment, however we are expecting the coming days to be challenging. Some planned appointments and operations will need to be rescheduled, to allow us to ensure safe care continues to be available for those with urgent and life-threatening healthcare needs. 

"Waiting times in our emergency department will be longer than usual during the days of strike action and we will be prioritising patients based on the urgency of their clinical need – if we feel you could be seen elsewhere, we may redirect you. We would like to apologise to our patients for the disruption we are expecting, and to thank them for their understanding."

The Trust adds: "If people need medical help or advice or are unsure about whether they should go to hospital, 111.nhs.uk should be the first port of call. Call NHS 111 for advice on where to go and what to do next - a trained adviser will provide advice and the best care pathway.

"During the strike action, people may be seen more quickly at Teddington Urgent Treatment Centre, which is open from 8am until 8pm (7 days a week).

"Local pharmacies may also be able to help and can provide advice on minor health concerns from skin rashes to earaches and flu. Many pharmacies stay open late, and no appointment is needed. You can also contact your GP surgery for appointments about illnesses or injuries that won't go away."

More information on the strikes is available on the NHS website.

You should always call 999 if it's a life-threatening emergency – find out more on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E.