England’s Junior Doctors Strike as Contract Talks Fail

It is the second strike by the British Medical Association (BMA) in a row with the Government over a new contract.

Abhishek Joshi, a heart doctor at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, said the new contracts could stop hospital operators from being penalized if exhausted doctors work prolonged shifts which can be risky: “There have been studies to show that exhausted doctors are even worse than drunk drivers”.

Check-ups, appointments and tests are also set to be disrupted as a result of the strike.

The talks broke down in January, with the two sides unable to agree over the terms for working on Saturdays and changes to the pay structure.

NHS England confirmed 43 per cent of junior doctors – out of a possible 26,000 working on a typical day – reported for duty, including doctors who had never meant to strike such as those working in emergency care.

Junior doctors carried out a second 24-hour strike yesterday as part of a national dispute with the Government over a new contract.

Dr Andrew Gardner, an F1 at West Suffolk, said for a seven-day NHS what was really needed was “more staff, more resources” and more social care so patients can be discharged safely.

There are more than 50,000 junior doctors in England, making up a third of the medical workforce.

At North Tees 285 outpatient appointments from 20 clinics have been cancelled as well as five operations.

The major sticking point is whether Saturday should in future be considered a normal working day for doctors.

Instead it wants to impose a flawed contract on a generation of junior doctors who have lost all trust in the Health Secretary. He said the decision to impose the changes on doctors was taken on the advice of senior health service officials.

Junior doctors’ leaders have rejected a “final take-it-or-leave-it” offer made by the government to settle the bitter contract dispute in England.

And Stacey Hunter, director of operations at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust also said patient’s safety was its priority.

The Health Secretary on Tuesday urged the BMA to “put the interests of patients first and reconsider their refusal to negotiate” on the one remaining issue of weekend working.

As a way of compensating doctors, the Government has offered premium pay to kick in from 5pm on Saturdays with a higher basic rate of pay.