JUNIOR DOCTORS gathered outside Leighton Hospital for today’s strike.

Junior doctors up and down the country took part in the second 24-hour strike, which began at 8am this morning, over pay and conditions.

Nearly 3,000 operations have been cancelled across the country as a result of the strike, which have also affected check-ups, appointments and tests.

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Leighton Hospital, Victoria Infirmary in Northwich and Elmhurst Intermediate Care Centre in Winsford, confirmed around 43 junior doctors took part in the strike.

A total of 129 non-urgent outpatients’ appointments were rearranged and four non-urgent operations were rearranged.

A spokesman for Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Patient care and safety is our top priority and we have robust plans in place to ensure that as few patients as possible are affected by industrial action.

“The trust was able to provide emergency and urgent services during the period of industrial action and the vast majority of routine operations also continued to run through a consultant-led service.

“Any patients whose appointments or operations were affected by the industrial action are being rescheduled to be seen as soon as possible.”

The Government proposed an 11 per cent pay rise during formal talks with the British Medical Association in January, thought these broke down This led to the first 24-hour strike on January 12.

According to NHS England, around 60 per cent of the 50,000 junior doctors in England took part in today’s industrial action.

It appears the main issue the union and the government is at loggerheads over is regarding pay for working on Saturdays.

The Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust spokesman has urged those with a non-urgent condition to make use of other healthcare options available.

These include visiting their Pharmacist or GP, calling NHS 111 or using the NHS Choices website via nhs.uk