Yahoo News What we know about longest ever NHS doctors strike this week
NHS junior doctors are set to walk out for six days in a dispute over pay
Junior doctors have kicked off what is the longest strike in NHS history – but plans for cover could be put in “jeopardy” if just one or two senior medics go off sick, NHS leaders have warned.
Members of the British Medical Association (BMA) begun their walkout at 7am on Wednesday – marking the start of the six-day strike that could see half of the medical workforce on picket lines.
Increased pressure will be on the NHS from winter viruses, along with an uptick in people seeking treatment, having delayed during the festive period. People are still being urged to seek care if they need it, with emergency and urgent care being prioritised during the walkout.
The NHS has warned that the strike could lead to “the most difficult start to the year the NHS has ever faced”.
Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, told LBC Radio: ”Plans have been put in place and people have been working very, very hard on these rotas. But the rotas are just about covered, so it only takes a consultant or two to go off sick – which, of course, there’s a lot of COVID and flu, norovirus, other winter viruses around at the moment and a couple may go off sick – then that is going to put the entire plan in jeopardy, which is why the leaders across the NHS are so concerned that this is skating on thin ice.”
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the strike will be “incredibly tough” for the NHS.
He told BBC Breakfast the NHS is already “under enormous pressure”, adding: “So we are deeply concerned about the kind of impact over the coming days.”
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When and why are junior doctors striking?
Strike action, which will run until 7am, Tuesday, 9 January, will take place across England, the BMA has said.
The trade union for UK doctors says its main goals include achieving full pay restoration, arguing that junior doctors' pay has faced a steep decline since 2008/9. It says this problem is compounded by high inflation and the cost of living crisis.
It is also demanding an agreement with the government on a mechanism to protect junior doctors' pay from being eroded, in real terms, by inflation in the future. The BMA is also asking for reform to the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) process so pay increases can be "recommended independently and fairly" to improve the retention of junior doctors.
Read more: Millions waiting over a month to see GP as delays hit record levels
The strikes come after weeks of failed talks between the union and ministers, with the BMA claiming the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has "not been able to put forward a credible offer to end the pay dispute". Junior doctors were offered a 3% pay rise on top of an average increase of 8.8% they received over the summer.
However, the BMA is seeking a 35% pay uplift to make up for consistent below-inflation pay rises over many years. Pay isn't the only issue faced by medics, however, with many complaining of increased demands on hospitals and a growing number of people leaving the NHS contributing to workforce burnout.
How much do junior doctors earn?
A junior doctor can expect a basic starting salary of £32,398 in their first foundation year, and £37,303 in their second.
Those who then progress to specialist training, which can take as many as nine additional years, can expect a salary of between £43,923 and £63,152 as they progress through the levels. Junior doctors in the capital also receive an annual London allowance of £5,000, which falls to £4,500 for those on higher pay grades.
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How many junior doctors are there in the UK?
According to the Nuffield Trust, there are around 75,000 full-time junior doctors in the UK. NHS England says that these doctors make up 50% of the medical workforce.
However, staffing numbers could be under threat, with a survey by the BMA finding that 40% of junior doctors would leave the NHS if they received another job offer. Of those surveyed, 83% cited pay erosion as their reason to leave.
Some of those at strikes last year suggested people had already gone elsewhere, with one placard reading: “All of my friends are in Australia.” BMA analysis shows England has a "very low proportion of doctors relative to the population". It says the average number of doctors per 1,000 people in OECD EU nations is 3.7, but England has just 2.9. Germany, by comparison, has 4.3.
