The hospital has been forced to cancel more than 1,300 outpatient appointments over the two days, as well as 37 operations.
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Speaking on television this morning, Jeremy Hunt said: “You can disagree with me, you don’t have to like the health secretary, but this is not the way to express that frustration and anger”.
He tweeted: “Today is the second day of the #juniordoctors’ strike”.
Talks between the United Kingdom government and British Medical Association (BMA) broke down in January, prompting the government to announce in February that it would be imposing the new contract by force.
Junior doctors get extra pay for working night and weekend shifts, but the new contract would see their Saturday daytime shifts paid at the normal rate from the summer, with a rise in basic pay.
This is the fifth strike since the impasse between the doctors and the government began after the 2015 elections.
The strike is the first time junior doctors have withdrawn full labour, including emergency care, which has been mostly provided by their more senior consultant colleagues.
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust warned patients that patients may face delays during the two days of strike action.
The strike is the first all-out strike in the NHS’ history.
“All patients who are not contacted by the hospital should attend their appointment as planned”.
“This is an unprecedented situation and staff across the NHS have made Herculean efforts to ensure continued safe services for patients”, NHS England’s Anne Rainsberry said.
At the moment it seems that, whilst the public would welcome a “7 day NHS”, they actually do support the junior doctors in their campaign.
Dr Phil Atkinson, a junior doctor from Bramhope working in anaesthetics, was among the picketers at LGI today.
She said this will have “adverse impacts” on hospital services in Eddisbury.
The all-out action shows the severity of the dispute which has been on-going for some time, with the BMA first voting to strike back in November of a year ago.
The second day stoppage lasts until 5pm, with nurses and consultants filling the gaps in A&E and intensive care.
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A spokesperson from Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said all appropriate action was being taken to make sure patient care was not jeopardised. “We offered a simple choice – lift imposition and the strikes would be called off, but unfortunately the health secretary simply refuses to do that”, he added.
