JUNIOR doctors formed a picket line outside Basingstoke hospital on their second day of the first ever all-out doctors' strike.

The protesters waved banners with slogans including 'Stop that Hunt from killing our 24/7 NHS', 'We can't be stretched any thinner' and 'Honk if you support your junior doctors' as they made their views known.

Junior doctors, who are protesting over the introduction of a new contract, walked out of routine and emergency care on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the strikes affecting A&E, maternity and intensive care for the first time.

However, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust chief executive, said planning ahead had ensured patient safety during the walk-out.

Mary Edwards added: "We have planned ahead to minimise disruption to our services and to ensure our patients are safe and well cared for. Our staff have worked together to ensure we have safe staffing levels across all our services."

Patients whose appointments were affected by the strike were contacted, and around 10 per cent of appointments were cancelled as a result, across all three hospitals run by the trust on the two days of industrial action.

Mrs Edwards said: "Many of those patients have been offered alternative appointments and booked in for a new time. We have also had to move around a handful of operations on our lists and we have done this in such a way as to minimise the impact on our patients.

"All patients who are not contacted by the hospital should attend their appointment as planned. Patients can call the telephone number on their appointment letter if they have any concerns."