THE NHS in the South West is facing another significant round of industrial action by resident doctors.

The strike is expected to begin at 7 am on Friday, July 25, and continued until 7 am on Wednesday, July 30.

Hospitals and local teams have reportedly been preparing ahead of this latest round of strikes, with plans in place to minimise disruption to patient care and to ensure life-saving treatment continues.

This will be the twelfth strike from resident doctors since March 2023, resulting in 49 days of disruption to NHS services.

NHS England has asked hospital chief executives to keep routine operations going to the fullest extent possible during this round of strikes and only to reschedule appointments and other activity in exceptional circumstances to ensure patient safety.

The NHS is therefore advising the public to “continue to attend any planned appointments they have scheduled over the strike period unless they have been contacted to reschedule.”

Primary and urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available.

Dr Trevor Smith, NHS England’s regional medical director for the South West, said: “It’s very disappointing that the industrial action is going ahead, given the impact it will have on individual patients, many of whom will have been waiting a long time for treatment.

“Some cancellations are inevitable as we prioritise emergency care, but we’re doing all we can to keep other services running, so please do attend appointments unless you’re told otherwise.

“And as always, please dial 999 in an emergency, and make use of NHS 111 online, your local pharmacist or GP if it’s less urgent.”

Resident doctors, previously named junior doctors, make up around half of all doctors in the NHS and have up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.