Junior doctors strike: Has it been effective?
Report by ITV News' Health Editor, Rachel Younger
Thousands of junior doctors went on strike for a second day as the row over the government's new contracts continues.
But how did hospitals cope? And will the strike action make any difference?
What has happened in the last two days?
Junior doctors walked out between 8am and 5pm on Tuesday and Wednesday this week in the first industrial NHS action of its kind.
What is the dispute all about?
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt wants to change hospital doctors' working contracts as part of a series of proposals to create a truly seven-day-a-week NHS.
He claims that the lack of senior staff working in hospitals at the weekend means that patients are 15% more likely to die if they are admitted on a Sunday compared with a Wednesday.
He is also pledging a cutback in the lucrative overtime payments consultants can get.
Hunt has offered junior doctors a basic pay rise of 11% and a promise to restrict hours to "make care safer for patients".
What do junior doctors say?
Junior doctors say the new contract would put patient safety at risk - and that they already work weekends and evenings.
The contracts are also said by some to be discriminatory to women, in particular single mothers.
The head of the British Medical Association's junior doctors' committee, Johann Malawana, has again called for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to lift his threat to impose the new contract on doctors.
ITV News' Alastair Stewart asked Mr Malawana: "Are you telling the British public there will be more of this until we win?"
Mr Malawana replied: "It's not about winning or losing. This is a contract that 98% of junior doctors have opposed...and Mr Hunt's treatment of them is abysmal."
How many junior doctors went on strike?
Figures complied by NHS England suggest 78% of junior doctors failed to report for duty on both on Tuesday and Wednesday.
During the previous strike earlier this month, around 14,600 junior doctors were not at work on each of the two days, of which 12,800 were actually on strike, with the remainder absent for other reasons.
How did this affect patients?
The NHS told patients not to attend A&E departments unless it was absolutely essential.
More than 125,000 appointments and operations were cancelled and will need to be rearranged as a result of the latest strike.
This figure is on top of almost 25,000 procedures that were cancelled during the previous walkouts.
How have hospitals coped?
Despite the concerns, hospitals across England appeared to cope well with low waiting times and no urgent calls for doctors to return from the picket lines.
Some trusts even said it was quiet, suggesting the public had heeded the warning to stay away unless necessary.
But Kevin McGee, chief executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, told the BBC the effects of the strikes had started to be felt.
He said: "Over this last couple of days, we've cancelled in excess of 100 planned, elective procedures.
"If you put that on the back of the activity that we've already cancelled, it's getting to the point where it's becoming quite difficult going forward
"So absolutely the strain is starting to tell with the level of activity that we've had to cancel over the previous strikes and this one."
What have NHS bosses said about the strike action?
Dr Anne Rainsberry, National Incident Director for NHS England, said: "We're not going to pretend the last two days have been easy but the NHS has remained open to business for patients.
"We ask the public to continue to use it wisely while the action is ongoing.
"The health service has coped admirably to date thanks to extensive planning and the exhaustive efforts of other staff."
Who has spoken out in support of junior doctors?
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was proud to join junior doctors in a demonstration outside the Department of Health on Tuesday night.
Corbyn told protesters it was "utterly contemptible" that Hunt had failed to reach an agreement with them, despite having "every conceivable opportunity".
Unions such as the TUC and CWU have also given junior doctors their backing, as well as celebrities including Ralf Little, Sally Lindsay and Frankie Boyle.
And these junior doctors are hoping Craig David will also add his name to their cause if this placard is anything to go by.
How have the public reacted?
The reaction from the public has been largely positive with many wearing badges of support and beeping their horns to doctors striking outside hospitals.
Others brought food to the picket lines including pizza, chocolate biscuits, and in Cornwall pasties.
And some patients even tweeted from their hospital beds that they were being taken good care of in the junior doctors' absence.
What does the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt say?
Hunt, who said it is likely to be his last big job in politics, said: "The one thing that would keep me awake is if I didn't do the right thing to help make the NHS one of the safest, highest quality healthcare systems in the world.
"Health secretaries are never popular. You are never going to win a contest for being the most liked person when you do this job.
"But what history judges is: did you take the tough and difficult decisions that enabled the NHS to deliver high-quality care for patients? For me, that's what it's about."
Will the walkout make any difference?
With services largely unaffected by the strike action, it remains to be seen if the government will back down.
Prime Minister David Cameron backs Hunt and has already said he thinks the walkout was wrong.
Hunt has also hinted he may ban any future strikes for junior doctors.