'Elderly will suffer' in six-day strike by junior doctors

A CHARITY has warned that the latest strike by junior doctors taking place this week could deter elderly people from seeking care.

Age UK said timing the strikes to coincide with the busiest time of the year would also make it "difficult to guarantee safe and effective care for everyone who needs it" Junior doctors, including those working at Plymouth's Derriford Hospital, are staging the longest walkout in NHS history this week.

They began their industrial action at 7am yesterday and it is set to continue until 7am on Tuesday, January 9.

Urging a return to negotiations, Paul Farmer, the charity's chief executive, said: 'We are very concerned older people who may be feeling unwell are put off seeking the care they need due to the strikes.

'We have increasingly heard from older people, already struggling to access the help they need, now worried what ongoing strikes mean for them and their families.

Meanwhile, NHS leaders warned that cover for striking junior doctors could be put in "jeopardy" if just one or two senior medics were to go off sic.

Hospital bosses said the strike will be "incredibly tough" for the health service as junior doctors in England, including those at Plymouth's Derriford Hospital, launched their six-day walkout.