JUNIOR doctors in the Bradford district are manning picket lines during a strike today.
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The NHS Choir gathered outside Great Ormond Street Hospital to lend its support to striking doctors.
“We really need proper contractual safeguards in order to keep junior doctors – and their patients – safe”.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has announced that it is “working hard to minimise disruption” through writing letters to all patients likely to be affected by the strike.
Kettering General Hospital medical director Dr Andrew Chilton said: “We are working closely with doctors, and staff of all grades, across all departments, to ensure the planned industrial action does not affect patient safety”.
But in a statement, the hospital made clear that services for those who require urgent and emergency services will continue as usual.
JUNIOR doctors are on strike today over proposed changes to their contract by government.
They have also issued advice to patients in choosing wisely in the event that they need medical help and said in the first instance people should see a pharmacist, GP or call 111.
Ministers offered doctors an 11 per cent rise in basic pay previous year, but that was offset by curbs to other elements of the pay package, including unsociable hours payments.
There was a moment, just before Christmas, where it did look as if the junior doctors contract dispute would be resolved.
“We have rescheduled some operations and procedures along with outpatient appointments which were due to take place during the industrial action – we apologise for any inconvenience caused to patients due to circumstances outside our control”.
This will be followed by two further spells of strike action, with a 48-hour stoppage and the provision of emergency care only from 8am on Tuesday January 26.
Junior doctors will provide emergency care only between 8am on Tuesday 12 January and 8am on Wednesday 13 January.
“We expect to run all emergency services for patients along with other urgent care such as cancer, cardiac, maternity and dialysis”.
With both sides at the ACAS table for the first time, there was real hope they could work their way to some form of compromise.
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The strike was called over plans to reform pay and working hours for some medics in the National Health Service (NHS).
