People are being asked to only call 999 if it is a ‘serious or life-threatening emergency’ as junior doctors begin a five-day strike.

The medics – which make up around half of all doctors in the NHS – are launching their tenth walkout in an ongoing row with the government over pay.

In Kent, Kate Langford chief medical officer for NHS Kent and Medway, said teams had ‘become very good’ at protecting emergency services during strike action by diverting available staff to the front line, but acknowledged that the walkouts would disrupt other treatment such as planned surgery and outpatient appointments.

Junior doctors are all qualified doctors in clinical training, who under the NHS system, are medical school graduates with anywhere between one and nine years experience.

The industrial action is expected to place significant pressure on hospitals across England already in the midst of a busy winter period.

As part of efforts to manage available resources, the NHS is asking patients ‘to choose services appropriately’ if they unexpectedly need medical treatment in the coming days, to help make sure care is available to those who need it most.

This, says the advice, includes using 111 online, only using 999 for the most serious emergencies alongside continuing to attend all appointments unless told otherwise.

The appeal on its website reads: “The NHS is asking patients to choose services appropriately during industrial action and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs, and only using 999 if it is a serious or life-threatening emergency. For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E you can visit the NHS UK website.”

The British Medical Association says its junior doctors will strike in a ‘full walkout’ from 7am today (Saturday, February 24) until 11.59pm on Wednesday, February 28.

While the union for hospital doctors – Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) - has announced that its junior doctor members will be on strike from 6.59am Saturday until shifts starting after 7.00am on Thursday, February 29.

The BMA is looking for the government to reverse what they say is a real-term pay cut, which has been experienced by doctors since 2009.

The union estimates between 2009 and 2022, England’s doctors have had a 26% cut due to below-inflation pay rises. A 35% rise – says the BMA – would make up for this loss.

But negotiations with the government have stalled – prompting this month’s latest walkout.

More than 1.3 million hospital appointments, says the health service, have been impacted by strike action in the last year.

The previous round of industrial action by junior doctors in January saw over 113,000 hospital appointments disrupted, 23,000 staff absent on weekdays, and over 8,000 on weekends due to the walk outs.

However, while asking the public to ‘play their part’ by looking after themselves and checking on the vulnerable, the NHS says it remains important that those who need urgent medical care do come forward as normal.