Kingston Hospital has announced that its services will be "significantly impacted" by upcoming junior doctor industrial action.

The strike will take place from 7am on 24 February to 28 February.

As a safety measure, some appointments and procedures will be delayed so that urgent and life-threatening healthcare needs can be met.

This includes the hospital's Emergency Department (A&E), which will remain open during the strike.

Patients who will be affected by these changes will be contacted directly to rearrange any appointments.

Those who are not contacted have been told to continue to attend appointments as planned.

Kingston Hospital's Chief Medical Officer, Dr William Oldfield, has apologised to patients for the expected disruption, stating in a recent press release that "staff are continuing to work hard to minimise disruption to care and treatment during the days of industrial action".

He adds: "But this will be challenging".

The hospital's Chief Medical Officer, Dr William Oldfield, has announced that the upcoming strike 'will be challenging' (Photo: Kingston Hospital website)

The strike period may see patients being redirected from A&E to their local GP or pharmacist to help manage demand and prioritise patients with greater clinical need.

The Chief Medical Officer also asked the public to remain kind and compassionate to staff who will be "more stretched than usual".

Kingston Hospital has suggested the following alternatives for non-emergency care:

• Call NHS 111, a non-emergency phone line that can help find the right local service.
• Teddington Urgent Treatment Centre, which is open from 8am to 8pm all week, and offers minor illness and injury care.
• Local pharmacies for minor health concerns.
• GP surgeries, including out-of-hours services, for illnesses of injuries that won't go away.

You should always call 999 if it's a life-threatening emergency. 

Find out more using the NHS's when to call 999 and when to go to A&E.

Kingston Hospital's advice for the public regarding the strike period can be found here.