What should patients do during the doctors' strike?

A regional NHS body has warned patients to "choose services appropriately" when a six-day strike by resident doctors in England begins on Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of doctors across the country will be on strike between 07:00 BST on Tuesday until just before 07:00 on Monday 13 April.

Issuing advice to its patients, the newly formed Thames Valley Integrated Care Board (ICB) said the industrial action would see disruption to appointments.

It also urged anyone who needed urgent medical care to "come forward as normal, especially in emergency and serious life-threatening cases".

The ICB said the strike action would impact all of the NHS trusts it was responsible for across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

It said that during the dispute, the focus of the trusts would be on "ensuring as many services as possible continue to operate safely".

Patients with appointments booked on strike days will be contacted if the appointment has to be rescheduled, the care board said, while those who had not been contacted should attend as planned.

Dr Lalitha Iyer, chief medical officer at Thames Valley ICB, explained: "We need patients to choose services appropriately during this period and take simple steps to help ensure care is available for people who need it most."

She said GP surgeries would be open as normal during the action, while pharmacies could also be used to "treat a range of minor illnesses".

She went on to say that patients should make sure they have enough of their prescribed medications, as well as a first aid kit at home.

"And last but not least, NHS staff will work hard during this very challenging time – we are asking everyone to treat them with respect," she added.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.