West Yorkshire hospital trust's strike disruption warning

Junior doctors who are members of the BMA are taking part in a 10th round of strike action

People in parts of West Yorkshire have been urged to avoid visiting hospital unless they need emergency care as doctors begin strike action.

Junior doctors who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) are taking part in a 10th round of strike action until 23:59 GMT on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the HCSA hospital doctors' union is also on strike until Thursday.

Dr Sarah Robertshaw, from Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust, said: "We are trying our best to maintain emergency services."

The BMA, which represents doctors and medical students, wants a 35% pay increase for its members due to what it said were below-inflation rises since 2008.

That proposal has previously been rejected by government ministers.

A BMA spokesperson said the government had "failed to to meet the deadline to put an improved pay offer on the table".

'Trying our best'

Dr Robertshaw, a consultant in emergency care at the Mid Yorkshire trust, which includes Pontefract Hospital, Pinderfields Hospital and Dewsbury and District Hospital, said some scheduled operations had been cancelled due to the latest action.

"Every strike is a risk, we do worry about it," she added.

"We are trying our best to manage where we can, but I would be lying if I said it wasn't a concern."

Dr Robertshaw added that it was "an exceptionally busy time of the year for us".

"Winter is always busy for emergency departments and NHS organisations and we are no different," she said.

"We have a significant number of patients in our department at present needing admission to hospital."

Dr Robertshaw said that during the strike action, anyone unsure if they needed hospital treatment should contact the NHS 111 service for advice.

However, those in need of emergency care should still go to hospital, she said.

"We really want to see people who have a genuine life or death situation."

Junior doctors are fully trained doctors with up to eight years of experience.

They account for about 50% of doctors working in the health service, an NHS spokesperson said.

NHS services would be under "a huge amount of pressure leading up to, and during, the strike", they added.