Junior doctors have commenced the biggest NHS strike in history
It seems junior doctors have carried over one of their new year resolutions: to simply receive better pay.
Since December 2022 various members of NHS staff have staged strikes across England. Despite it being a new year, there is one group who are continuing their fight for better pay: junior doctors.
Today, Wednesday 3rd January, marks the being of their six-day walkout – the longest NHS strike in its 75-year history. This round of strike action has commenced as a result of ministers failing to propose a significant pay rise – last year the government offered an uplift worth 8.8% for 2023-24 and proposed a further 3% but this was unfortunately rejected.
Against this backdrop, Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trevedi, co-chairs of the British Medical Association (BMA) junior doctors’ committee, have urged health secretary, Victoria Atkins, to make junior doctors the ‘final’ improved apay offer they said she promised last year.
Overall, junior doctors are calling for a 35% pay rise after the real terms value of medics’ pay fell by 26% since 2008-09.
Dr Laurenson and Dr Trevedi said: ‘Instead, doctors are still set to be paid £15.50 an hour and are being forced to go back out on strike by a government that cannot get its act together and make the reasonable offer on pay it knows it eventually must.’
However, various health charities have warned that this week’s strike action, which started at 7am, will have severe consequences for NHS patients. As a result, they are urging the BMA to bring in mediators to help settle the long-running dispute over junior doctors’ pay.
‘Patients should have access to safe and effective care when they need it. Strike action imposes barriers to care over and above the long waits many patients are already experiencing,’ said The Patients Association, a charity dedicated to supporting the rights of all patients and families. ‘We are profoundly concerned that the junior doctors’ action could affect the safety of all patients on strike days. Bring in mediators if you need, but please find a way through this impasse.’
In addition, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, the medical director for NHS England said: ‘There’s likely to be many, many thousands of appointments cancelled or rescheduled again, and that’s on top of the 1.2m we’ve already seen during well over a year now with periods of industrial action.’
Powis added that ‘These strikes are at the very worst time of the year for the NHS.’
This view has been echoed by Victoria Atkins as she said: ‘January is typically the busiest time of the year for the NHS and these strikes will have a serious impact on patients across the country. The NHS has again put in place robust contingency plans to protect patient safety and it is vital anyone who needs medical help continues to come forward.’
Image: Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona
‘Extreme disruption’ expected as 72-hour junior doctors and consultants strike begins
