Admin staff have been praised as the "unsung heroes" of the junior doctors' strike, which has affected hospitals in Suffolk and Essex this week.

It comes as teachers also walked out over union disputes on their pay, affecting several schools in the county.

More than 36,000 NHS workers were expected to strike this week across England, with a Suffolk NHS chief warning it will cause continuing disruption.

The 72-hour strike started at 7am on Monday, March 13, and is due to end at 7am on Thursday, March 16, with the doctors' trade union the British Medical Association (BMA) demanding a 35% pay rise.

Nick Hulme, chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, said that a number of operations and appointments have had to be rescheduled.

"There have been no immediate safety or quality issues," Mr Hulme said.

"We have been meeting with clinical and nonclinical staff every couple of hours just to check that there have been no immediate clinical risks.

"Our clinical staff have really stepped up into those spaces with the work that's usually done by junior doctors.

"The often-unsung heroes are our army of admin staff. They have been phoning patients, doing the re-booking, planning the rotas, making sure everyone's safe, and working behind the scenes.

"They are often having quite difficult conversations with patients about why their operations have been cancelled or delayed."

He added that disruption will be "ongoing", as appointments have had to be put off.

Mr Hulme said: "We should be thinking about waiting times, the ongoing challenges in A&E, recruitment and retention. I believe in the right to strike and it is their personal decision to strike, but it has an impact on the NHS."

Some schools have also been fairly heavily impacted by teachers' strikes.

A number of schools were partially closed across Suffolk on Wednesday, March 15.

Teachers who are part of the National Education Union (NEU) are expected to walk out on Wednesday and Thursday, causing some Suffolk schools to partially close after undertaking risk assessments.

These included Thomas Gainsborough School, Ipswich Academy, Thurston Community College, Ormiston Sudbury Academy, Westley Middle School in Bury St Edmunds, and Stowmarket High School.