Junior doctors in Kingston and across the country began their three-day walkout this morning after negotiations with ministers failed to resolve their pay dispute.

Organised by the British Medical Association, the 72-hour stoppage will run from Wednesday 14 June until 7am on Saturday 17 June 2023, and Kingston Hospital says it is expecting its services to be 'significantly impacted'.

The hospital has stressed that anyone whose appointment needs to be cancelled due to strike action will be contacted and that they will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

People should continue to attend appointments as planned, unless they are told otherwise and continue to come forward for urgent care during the strike action, especially in an emergency and in life-threatening cases.

The strikes come at the same time as Heat-Health Alerts have been issued and there are high levels of pollution with the area's hospitals reporting this has put strain on services.

Dr William Oldfield, Chief Medical Officer for Kingston Hospital, said: "We would like to apologise to our patients for the disruption that we are expecting next week, and to thank them for their understanding. Our staff are working hard to minimise disruption to care and treatment during the days of industrial action, but we know that next week will be very challenging. 

"We are asking people to help us manage demand by considering different services for medical help or advice, such as their GP or local pharmacist. Waiting times in the 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. Our staff may also be more stretched than usual and so we are asking everyone to remain kind and compassionate."

Junior doctors are fighting for a 35% pay rise to compensate for salaries that have been cut by more than a quarter since 2008 (Credit: BMA)

During the strike action, residents have also been advised that they may be seen more quickly at the Teddington Urgent Treatment Centre which is open from 8am until 8pm, seven 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. Residents can also contact their GP surgeries for appointments about illnesses or injuries that won't go away.

This week's strikes are the third set junior doctors have held as part of a campaign to force ministers to give them a 35% pay rise to make up for what they estimate to be a 26.2% fall in the real-terms value of their salaries since 2008.

More information on the industrial action can be found on the NHS website.