British doctors to strike over pay, working conditions

Prior to an agreement with the BMA, he said contingency plans for December 8 and 16 were focused on staffing at major trauma centres and trusts “where we have concerns about patient safety”. So doctors with emergency duties will be at work, others will not.

The first day of action is planned for tomorrow (Tuesday 1st December) where junior doctors will only provide emergency care. Do not be too alarmed, however.

Other NHS staff are being urged to join picket lines set to be mounted outside hospitals from 8am on Tuesday.

Jeremy Hunt told MPs in the Commons there had been a “time-limited” agreement made this afternoon for further talks, where the BMA would suspend strike action if the Government agrees not to impose a new contract on doctors.

All emergency procedures and essential services are planned to go ahead as normal, while less urgent procedures and some outpatient appointments may have to be rearranged. Patients with life-threatening conditions such as people needing dialysis or cancer drug infusions or those with conditions in which junior doctors are not involved like HIV will not be affected.

Phil Atkinson, junior doctor from Bramhope, Leeds, working in anaesthetics. The doctors’ union has also called on Mr Hunt to drop the threat that the contract will be imposed on junior doctors regardless from August 2016.

Here’s everything you need to know.

But they already earn enough, aren’t they just being greedy?

Why are junior doctors striking?

The new contract was first mooted in 2012 but talks between the BMA and the Government broke down previous year.

Strike action by thousands of junior doctors has been suspended, the British Medical Association has said.

After initially refusing to go to Acas following the junior doctor strike ballot, which revealed more than 98% of junior doctors voted in favour of full strike action, Jeremy Hunt wrote to the BMA last week saying “it is clear that any talks are better than strikes”.

Mr Hunt previously tried to avert strikes with a fresh deal, including an 11% rise in basic pay.

Medics say this would effectively be a pay cut of up to 30% because evenings and Saturdays are usually paid at a higher rate.

“We wish to reassure patients that as far as their local surgery is concerned it will be business as usual”.

“We’re not making firm plans for the following two strikes, because we’re hopeful they’ll be called off”.

“We see more suffering and death in our 20s than some in their entire lives”.

We assembled because we believe in protecting our patients and the future of the NHS.

And before they even start as an F1 they are expected to have five to six years of medical school under their belts – with all of the student loans that this entails.

“More simply put, this contract will affect me, you, and everyone you love”.

He said: “It is important to remember that underneath all of the muddled statistics, mud throwing and political spin, we are discussing public health”.

Where can I follow updates on the junior doctors’ strike?