Major A&E changes announced amid strikes

A hospital's A&E will switch to a daytime-only Minor Injury and Illness Unit (MIIU) while doctors strike.

Cheltenham General Hospital's A&E will close on Sunday at 20:00 BST and then reopen on Monday as a MIIU. Normal overnight services will resume on Friday, when the department reverts back to an A&E.

The four-day strike action is the latest in a long-running dispute over pay between resident doctors and the government.

Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram, chief clinical leadership and delivery officer at NHS Gloucestershire, said: "The strike is likely to pose significant challenges to the local NHS, particularly hospital services."

"We are sorry that patients might experience some disruption," he added.

NHS Gloucestershire has advised patients with planned operations, clinics or procedures to attend hospital as usual unless told otherwise.

Patient visiting arrangements are not expected to be disrupted during the strikes.

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital's A&E will operate normal hours during the strike, and the public has been urged to only attend if their condition is life-threatening or serious.

The government insists that their current pay is fair, and Health Secretary James Murray has described the union's demands as "unrealistic, unaffordable and unsustainable".