Musgrove Park hospital has been hit by a fresh wave of strikes by junior doctors.

On Thursday July 13, junior doctors from three separate trade unions began 120 hours of strike action, not returning to work until Tuesday, July 18.

In addition consultant doctors with the British Dental Association are set to go on strike from 7am on Thursday July 20 to Saturday July 22.

The renewed wave of action has been called over a long-running dispute concerning pay and conditions. They are expected to have a 'significant impact' on patient services.

In a statement, the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Musgrove, said:

"Patient safety is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining patient care as much as possible and providing the most essential services on these days. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and will rebook immediately, where possible.

"It is likely that these strikes will have a significant impact upon planned and routine care."

The strikes will be the largest yet undertaken by junior doctors. It comes after the government offered a 6 per cent rise, short of the 35 per cent that unions have called for.

For advice on accessing services, visit the NHS Somerset Foundation Trust website.