Patients with appointments at St George's Hospital in Tooting are being told not to attend if a planned junior doctors strike goes ahead.

Doctors have voted to take strike action on three dates in December, with the first strike on Tuesday, December 1.

Junior doctors will only be offering emergency cover for the day, equivalent to the levels of cover on Christmas Day.

St George's Hospital has sought to reassure patients, that although many will see their appointments cancelled and rescheduled, there will still be emergency care and treatment for those life-threatening health concerns.

A spokesman for the hospital, said: "All patients who require urgent care will be treated and our Emergency Department will run as normal.

"Some elective surgery and non-urgent outpatients clinics have been cancelled. Patients with life-threatening conditions such as people needing dialysis or cancer drug infusions or those with conditions in which junior doctors are not involved like HIV will not be affected.

"Staff involved in elective surgery and such non-urgent outpatient clinics which have been cancelled will be re-assigned to areas where they are most needed and for which they have the correct skills set.

"Patients have been informed and told that should the strike be cancelled, their appointment will stand and they should attend as previously planned.

"But if the strike goes ahead, then they should not attend and their appointment will be re-scheduled. We have asked patients not to call the hospital if their appointment has been cancelled and to rest assured that we will be re-scheduling appointments as soon as we can."

The hospital has refused to make any statements during the course of the strike, which will last 24 hours, until 8am on December 3, and will not allow any filming at the hospital or within the grounds.

There are further walkouts planned for December 8 and December 16, with no emergency care provision from junior doctors.