“No doctor wants to go out on strike or cause any disruption to their patients’ care, but the government’s unwillingness to listen has meant we are left with absolutely no other choice”.
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“The government have shown that they are quite happy to remove any safeguards against the length of hours junior doctors work and this, I can see, will lead rapidly to people working very long hours and exhausted doctors make mistakes”. They changes will also remove pay rises linked to time in the job and pay for working unsociable hours will be cut. Doctors are still providing emergency department cover and every speciality has on-call staff, such as on a bank holiday.
A total of 37,000 of 45,000 junior doctors in England took part in a vote in November a year ago and 98 percent of them voted for industrial action.
This comes as hospitals are battling to re-arrange thousands of operations postponed because of the contract dispute between junior doctors and Health Secretary. “Yes there are changes in pay, but actually what we are turning round and saying is that they are removing the safe guards against overworking us”.
NHS England estimates almost 4,000 operations and procedures out of 31,000 will be cancelled nationally because of the strike.
Dr Cummings is now working at a GP practice in Washington, and went to support his colleagues at the picket line at South Tyneside hospital.
Pictures have emerged of doctors in Gaza supporting British junior doctors in their battle against the Government’s efforts to introduce a new contract.
Now hospitals that overwork junior doctors face financial penalties, but these would be removed under the new contract.
Foundation doctor in endocrinology at Whipps Cross Dr Sarah Keegan said: “None of us want to strike, but we know that a contract with risky hours will harm our future patients”.
Junior doctors have to work these hours as that is the nature of the NHS which in reality is already a seven day service. As ever, the safety and care of patients is our top priority and the NHS has robust plans in place to ensure those who need emergency treatment will continue to receive it.
There will also be a full walkout between 8am and 5pm on Wednesday, February 10.
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Mr Hunt said almost 40% (39%) of junior doctors chose to work, however, the figure included the medics who had agreed to work to maintain emergency care levels and not been asked by the BMA to take action.
