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Junior doctors' strike live: Historic walkout is 'not right', David Cameron says

 It will be the first time in the NHS’s 68-year history emergency services and maternity units are affected

Ashley Cowburn,Jon Stone
Tuesday 26 April 2016 15:34 BST
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A protest by striking junior doctors outside the Department of Health in central London on April 6, 2016,
A protest by striking junior doctors outside the Department of Health in central London on April 6, 2016,

Here are the latest updates:

Doctors will today stage what could be the NHS’s most significant strike in its 68-year history, as Accident and Emergency and maternity units will be affected for the first time. It is expected that senior consultants will step in to staff the departments as their colleagues take strike action.

Doctors say the new contract will harm patient safety by incentivising unsafe shift rosters. The Government says it will help improve care at the weekends. The new contract is cost-neutral so it is not a case of doctors asking for more or less money overall, though there may be individual winners and losers from it.

Junior doctors strike - all you need to know

A very large majority of junior doctors are likely to strike, with only a tiny number expected to defy the picket lines.

All polls suggest that the public support the junior doctors and blame the Government for the dispute. There is slightly reduced support for a strike which includes emergency care, but the public still supports doctors overall.

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