Army medical staff are expected to be drafted into NHS hospitals as cover for striking junior doctors, according to a document uncovered by The Telegraph.

The first of three strikes by junior doctors is due to begin on Tuesday Dec 1, when they can only provide emergency care, with full stoppages on Dec 8 and Dec 16.

It would be the first full walkouts by doctors in NHS history.

In official guidance on industrial action issued by the British Medical Association (BMA), it said it expects medics from the Armed Forces will be used to help plug the gap on strike days.

The BMA advises striking doctors manning picket lines to be friendly to Army doctors – not least because as military employees, they have no right to strike.

In the Guide to Safe Picketing, published by the BMA, the professional trade union states: "It is likely that our Armed Forces colleagues will be asked to step in to provide support for clinical services on the days of action.