The public health service in England was on Tuesday braced for"the most disruptive industrial action" in its history as junior doctors walk out over pay and working conditions.
"This is set to be the most disruptive industrial action in NHS history, and the strikes tomorrow will bring immense pressures, coming on the back of a challenged extended bank holiday weekend for staff and services," he said on Monday. Family doctors are reported by British media to be closed for appointments for up to a week, as GPs are drafted in to provide cover for junior doctors.
"This demand is widely out of step with pay settlements in other parts of the public sector at a time of considerable economic pressure on our country," he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.