Manx Care is warning island patients travelling to the UK for treatment to expect significant disruption as five days of strike action by resident doctors gets underway today (Friday, July 25).

The industrial action, which began at 7am, follows the collapse of talks between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the UK government over pay restoration.

Up to 50,000 junior doctors across England are expected to walk out during the strike, which will continue until 7am on Wednesday, July 30.

In preparation, consultant doctors have been asked to cover duties usually carried out by junior staff. However, widespread disruption to NHS services in England is anticipated.

Manx Care has confirmed that 151 island patients are currently booked to travel across for appointments during the strike period.

While urgent appointments, such as cancer treatment, are expected to go ahead, it estimates that around 75% of patients, approximately 113 people, will have their appointments postponed.

A spokesperson for Manx Care said: 'Some appointments will be urgent and therefore will go ahead.

‘However, it is estimated that 75% of patients will be cancelled - please note this is just an estimate.'

Patients whose appointments are affected began receiving notification from July 23, following confirmation from the BMA on Tuesday afternoon (July 22) that the strike would proceed.

The strikes will affect NHS services across all of England.

Manx Care is also reminding patients to inform Patient Transfer if their appointment is cancelled so that travel tickets can be rebooked and not lost.

The industrial action is part of an ongoing dispute between junior doctors and the UK government, with the BMA demanding full pay restoration to 2008 levels, citing years of below-inflation pay increases.

Resident doctors are demanding a 29% pay rise that they say would ‘restore salaries that have been eroded over the past decade’.