THE Barnet Green Party has expressed its support for junior doctors ahead of planned strike action.
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But hospital chiefs pledge robust staffing plans are in place to prevent potential chaos after holding crunch meetings with department heads.
Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, has accused “some elements” of the British Medical Association (BMA) of using the dispute over junior doctors for political point scoring before Tuesday’s strike.
The first strike planned across England on 12 January lasts 24 hours and will see junior doctors only provide emergency care.
Emergency care will be provided tomorrow and on January 26, however a full walk out is planned for February 10.
Following the Government’s continued failure to address doctors’ concerns that no proper safeguards have been put in place, and in advance of strikes scheduled for Tuesday, a number of junior doctors launched a faux betting shop, dubbed “Jeremy’s Punt”, outside a London hospital and Westminster.
Patients will be notified in advance if their appointments are cancelled and their bookings will be rescheduled.
“As a doctor, I can understand the anger and frustration felt by many junior doctors at this time”, she said.
A&E departments will be open as normal.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says the changes would help create a 24 hour, seven day a week NHS, quoting figures that show patients are more likely to die at weekends or in the evening.
Mary Edwards, Chief Executive, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: “Our priority is always the safety of our patients”.
“Patients booked to attend hospital on Tuesday, January 12, will have been contacted directly if their appointment is affected”.
“We work hard to keep our patients safe and want to continue doing so”.
The BMA has announced three spells of strike action as a result of the dispute, which includes problems over weekend pay.
But those talks collapsed last week when both sides reached stalemate.
The hospital trusts are supposed to monitor the hours doctors work per week, but it has become standard practice in many trusts for these checks to be made in selected weeks and to be interpreted as convenient.
Dr Coombe said: “The voices of over 50,000 doctors have not been enough to convince NHS bosses that this new contract is not the best way forward for patients or doctors. Furthermore, the Government has repeatedly dragged its feet throughout this process, initially rejecting our offer of talks and failing to make significant movement during negotiations”.
The government also proposes to scrap guaranteed pay increases, linked to time in the job, and replace them with a system where junior doctors progress through different stages in training.
The row centres around a proposed new contract of employment for junior doctors. Currently, junior doctors working outside 7am-7pm Monday to Fridays are paid higher rates.
The real risk to patients is not the industrial action of junior doctors, but government policy on the NHS, including chronic underfunding.
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The government has indicated it will impose the new contract next year in England.
