Junior doctors have begun their second all-out strike in England, walking out of routine and emergency care units in protest to Jeremy Hunt’s imposition of the new contract.

Following the strike on Tuesday, junior doctors walked out of hospitals at 08:00 BST and will not return until 17:00 BST.

Hospitals have contingency plans in place to cover the strike, with senior physicians covering roles normally performed by junior doctors, such as in A&E departments. However, the strikes have led to more than 100,000 routine appointments and nearly 13,000 non-emergency operations being cancelled or postponed.

Junior doctors have also agreed with hospitals to protocols where they will return to work if there is an emergency where patients are at risk.

The two strikes this week are the first time in history that NHS doctors have not provided emergency care in the history of the health service.

The NHS Choices website has created a dedicated page to provide information about the strike and what patients should do if they are in need of medical care.