SUPPORT for junior doctors taking industrial action across the Bradford district is as strong as ever, according to union.

Picket lines outside Bradford Royal Infirmary and Airedale General Hospital during the junior doctor's first 48-hour strike, which started on Wednesday, were among 147 official pickets taking place across the whole country over a contract row.

Junior paediatric doctor Amy Gilhooly, who works at Bradford Royal Infirmary, was among those who did not work a shift today.

Instead of picketing Dr Gilhooley, who lives in Burley-in-Wharfedale, and has a 20-month-old-daughter Rosie decided to put the strike day to productive use and organised first-aid sessions for parents in Little Lane, Ilkley.

More than 40 parents turned out to support the event and the junior doctors running the sessions.

Dr Gilhooley said: "We've had a fantastic response.

"It's not been a picket line and we've been careful to not make the event political but people have brought us cake and chocolates to keep us going and have showed us strong support. We wanted this strike day to be as productive as we could possibly make it."

A new Ipsos MORI poll this week found that two thirds of the public continue to back junior doctor’s decision to take industrial action.

Dr Johann Malawana, BMA junior doctor committee chairman, said no junior doctor wanted to take this action but were left with no choice following the government’s decision to impose an unfair contract which could damage the long term delivery of patient care in England.

"The fact that tens of thousands of junior doctors have supported this action in the past two days, with 147 picket lines taking place across the country, demonstrates the depth of feeling among grass roots doctors about this politically driven imposition. We deeply regret the disruption to patients and we remain open to talks with the government to try to resolve this dispute," he said.

And he added: “Junior doctors are committed to ensuring the best possible care for their patients and we already work seven days a week, around the clock under the existing contract. If the government wants more from an already overstretched workforce it will need to ensure there are more doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals, alongside additional funding. Ministers have failed to provide any detailed plan as to how their vague and unclear plans will be delivered. It is time for the Secretary of State to stop political posturing and return to talks that lead to a contract that is fair for junior doctors and good for the NHS."

A spokesman for Airedale NHS Trust said that a small number of procedures had to be re-scheduled as a result of the action, but that no operations had been cancelled or postponed.

He said "around a dozen" endoscopy patients had their treatment postponed.

"We did not cancel any operations. We re-scheduled some appointments."

Dr Bryan Gill, medical director at Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust, said 29 surgical procedures had to be re-scheduled along with 334 patient appointments.

"Robust arrangements have been made to ensure that patient safety and care have not been compromised.

"During the junior doctors' industrial action all essential services, including emergency and urgent surgery, have continued as normal during this period.

"We have endeavoured to avoid rearranging routine appointments in clinics for our patients but have unfortunately had to re-schedule 29 surgical procedures and 334 patient appointments during the two days of industrial action."