We deeply regret the disruption which today’s action will cause, and have changed the form of industrial action from a full walkout, to emergency cover only.
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Medical director Charles Ashton said: “We are working with the BMA to ensure that patient safety is not affected”.
Around 2,884 non-urgent operations have got cancelled, and an unknown number of consultations at outpatient clinics, in front of the show of strength by many of 45,000 junior doctors in England.
Emergency care only will be provided during the strike.
Junior doctors strike outside Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
Their leader Julia Nye (formerly a GP) will be singing a song that she composed for them about Fair Pay.
“There’s a real risk that some will vote with their feet”, said Malawana, the junior doctor committee chairman at the BMA.
Hours after the strike ended this morning UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced the new contract would be imposed.
During the strike, the junior doctors provide only emergency medical care.
In a statement to the Commons the Health Secretary said he felt that with time the contracted would be accepted as a good thing, although he admitted the process had created “considerable dismay” among junior doctors.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said a concession offered on Saturday pay was not enough to end the bitter contract dispute. “It is very important for patients who have not been contacted by hospital staff to attend their appointments as normal”.
Junior doctors are striking today in the continuing dispute over new contracts proposed by the government. We know how upsetting and frustrating this can be for our patients, but we must prioritise our services on the day for anyone whose care could be compromised if it was delayed.
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The government’s latest proposal reportedly offered extra pay for doctors working at least one in four Saturdays, and included higher fines for trusts over-working doctors, according to the BBC. “He claimed that patients are more likely to die if they are admitted at a weekend, which is an inaccurate interpretation of the facts”.
