An NHS leader has urged the government and junior doctors’ unions to call in conciliation service Acas to avoid “catastrophic” strikes this week.

Junior doctors will walk out for four days from Tuesday, 11 April, in what has been predicted to be the most disruptive walkout in NHS history.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said that the impact could be “heartbreaking” and called on both sides to end their “battle of rhetoric”.