Medical director Stephen Powis said he expected this latest strike to “hit the NHS very hard”.
And Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health leaders, criticised its timing.
“While we fully understand the genuine grievances junior doctors have over their pay, conditions and training, NHS leaders will still be frustrated that they will yet again be taking to the picket lines,” he said.
“Holding strikes in the middle of an election campaign, when no political party is in a position to bring the dispute to a close, is a bitter pill to swallow for staff who have to plug the gaps and patients who will have their appointments cancelled or delayed.”
Nearly 1.5 million appointments and operations have been cancelled because of strike action in the NHS in England, at an estimated cost of £3bn.
Anita Wheeler, 75, a former nurse from Reading, is one of those that has had care postponed because of the dispute. She has a condition called plantar fasciitis which causes her pain in her ankle and foot.
Her trauma and orthopaedics outpatient appointment for her foot was cancelled because of the junior doctor’s strike in March 2023. She says she sympathises with people in the same position this time around.
“I’ve been in this position before, so I know what it’s like, you build yourself up and think you’re going to get treated and then they turn around and say it’s cancelled.”
“These delays impact people lives.”
“When I found out my appointment was cancelled, I broke down and cried.
