NHS officials in Leicestershire have warned local services could be put under immense pressure over the next two weeks due to strike action coinciding with school holidays.

Hundreds of junior doctors working in hospitals across Leicestershire will join another nation-wide strike this week, after rejecting a recent pay offer from the government.

The NHS doctors will be on strike from 7am tomorrow (Thursday July 13) until 7am next Tuesday (July 18) and senior colleagues will be covering for them during the action. But further strikes are also due to take place the following week, seeing a large number of consultants walking out for 48 hours from 7am on Thursday, July 20.

This is the first time the senior doctors are walking out in almost 50 years and will lead to a large amount of elective and non-emergency work being cancelled. It also means that for seven days this month, regular hospital appointments and pre-planned operations will be significantly disrupted.

Officials from the NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB) have said the local NHS is expected to be impacted to "a greater extent" than the rest of the country, as the school holidays begin this week. It has warned of longer wait times and some treatments having to be rescheduled.

Dr Nil Sanganee, chief medical officer for the ICB said: "The local NHS is working hard to ensure we can continuously provide safe care for patients that need it during the industrial action. Thank you for everything you have done up to now to help us do this, but we must ask for your continued support in what will be another challenging period, with the added impact of the start of the school holidays.

"If you take regular medication, make sure you order your prescription in good time, so you don't run out when you are on holiday. Do make sure you take your medication with you. If you are unwell when away from home in the UK, your first port of call should be your own GP practice. They will be able to provide online, phone and video consultations and arrange for prescriptions to be sent to any pharmacy you choose. You can also use NHS 111 online for advice about getting the right care near to where you are."

Junior doctors are taking part in the strike action in an attempt to secure a better salary and working conditions. The British Medical Association (BMA) has said its members have suffered a "pay erosion" of 26 per cent over the last 15 years due rising inflation. It has since demanded a 35 per cent pay rise from the Government, which it says is a "full pay restoration" to reverse the "steep decline in pay faced by junior doctors since 2008".

Doctors who aren't of a GP, consultant or associate specialist status are classified as 'junior'. They make up 45 per cent of the medical workforce in England and can range from people fresh out of medical school to brain surgeons who have been in training for more than 10 years.

Andrew Furlong, medical director for University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust said it is "well-prepared" for the strike action and is focused on providing "safe, urgent and emergency care service" to those who need it. He added: "The public can help us by calling 999 in a life-threatening emergency only. You can click or call 111 for non-life threatening care, helping you get to the right place for your needs first time.

"Local pharmacies can help with less serious ailments. Anyone with a hospital appointment should continue to attend as planned unless they have been contacted to rearrange."