A 48-hour junior doctors’ strike has been suspended while talks continue with the government over a new contract.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said it wanted to give NHS trusts as much notice as possible to avoid disruption to patients.
Thousands of operations and procedures would have been affected by the strike on January 26, when doctors were due to provide emergency care only.
But the BMA said "significant progress" still needed to be made to avoid a strike planned for February 10, when full labour, including emergency care cover, is due to be withdrawn.
It said "differences still exist between the BMA and the government on key areas, including the protection of patient safety and doctors' working lives, and the recognition of unsocial hours."
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