JUNIOR doctors across Cumbria are set to strike for five days the week before the General Election. 

Talks had recently reopened with hopes of ending the long-running dispute over pay between medics in training and the Government.

After the July 4 election was called last week, the British Medical Association (BMA) gave the Government “a final opportunity to make an offer and avoid strikes” but “this opportunity has not been taken up”.

The BMA has previously called for a 35 per cent pay rise for junior doctors which they say would make up for ‘15 years of below-inflation wage rises’ which has caused a ‘recruitment and retention crisis’ in the NHS.

The union announced that junior doctors will stage a full walkout from 7am on June 27 to 7am on July 2.

The North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust is currently organising plans to mitigate the impact of the proposed strike on patient services.

“The Trust is currently working through our plans to make sure that patient safety is prioritised and any disruption that may be caused by the junior doctors’ right to strike is kept to a minimum," a spokesperson said.

"We will contact patients directly if their appointment needs to be rescheduled. Please make sure you come to your appointment unless we contact you to advise otherwise.”

More than 150 appointments were postponed at the North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust (NCIC)  due to the junior doctors' strike in January. 

In February, NCIC rescheduled more than 25 patient appointments and seven inpatient procedures. 

BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Robert Laurenson and Vivek Trivedi said: "Junior doctors are fed up and out of patience.

"Even at this late stage the prime minister has the opportunity to show that he cares about the NHS and its workers.

"It is finally time for him to make a concrete commitment to restore doctors’ pay.

"If during this campaign he makes such a public commitment that is acceptable to the BMA junior doctors committee, then no strikes need go ahead," they said.