Junior doctors will strike from tomorrow (27 June) to 2 July, and the NHS has anticipated "major disruption".
The NHS said the strikes over pay will affect most routine care as they prioritise urgent and emergency care, with consultants stepping in to cover for junior doctors, who make up 50 per cent of the medical workforce.
Since strikes began in late 2022, the NHS said more than 1.4 million inpatient and outpatient appointments have had to be rescheduled.
During the most recent action in February, over 91,000 inpatient and outpatient appointments were rescheduled, and 23,760 staff were absent from work at the peak of the strikes.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said: "After 3 months of talks between junior doctors in England and the Government, the Prime Minister has still made no credible offer to junior doctors.
"After the general election was called, the BMA gave the government a final opportunity to make an offer and avoid strikes. This opportunity was not taken up.
"As a result, the BMA’s junior doctors committee has decided to announce further strike dates which will take place in the run up to the general election."
Although extensive planning and cover arrangements are in place, the strikes are expected to cause widespread disruption to routine care and difficulties with discharging patients.
The NHS is reminding people that they should continue to use services as they normally would when they need urgent medical help – using 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies only – and to continue to attend planned appointments unless they have been contacted to say they have been postponed.
NHS national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “This new round of strike action will again hit the NHS very hard, with almost all routine care likely to be affected, and services put under significant pressure.
“As ever, we are working to ensure urgent and emergency care is prioritised for patients, but there is no doubt that it becomes harder each time to bring routine services back on track following strikes, and the cumulative effect for patients, staff and the NHS as a whole is enormous."
