First all-out doctors' strike in history of NHS has begun

Photo: Anthony Miller

Picket line - junior doctors and supporters outside the Royal Oldham Hospital during a previous day of action

The first all-out doctors' strike in the history of the NHS has begun.

Junior doctors walked out of routine and emergency care at 08:00am.

It is the first time services such as A&E, maternity and intensive care have been affected in the long-running dispute between the Government and junior doctors over a proposed new contract.

NHS bosses believe plans are in place to ensure safety, but say the situation will be monitored closely during the stoppage which ends at 5:00pm.

• The postponement of routine operations and appointments to free up staff
• The cancellation of holidays and study leave
• Redeployment of consultants, middle-grade doctors and nurses into emergency care
• More GP appointments being kept free for last-minute requests
• An increase in 111 staff rostered on to allow the phone service to handle more calls

Patients are being urged to think carefully about how they use the NHS during the strike. 

Professor Matthew Makin, Medical Director at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The Trust has robust plans to ensure that all of our hospital wards are safely staffed with medical and nursing input and essential services are maintained during the strike days. We are working hard to ensure that our plans are in place to protect the safety and welfare of our patients which remains our top priority.

“We are taking steps to ensure our A&E departments and urgent care services operate as usual, but we are asking the public to think carefully before turning up to our A&Es if their condition is not urgent. The public can help us to ensure that the NHS continues to operate as effectively as possible during this busy period especially in the lead up to and during the May bank holiday weekend as well. We anticipate our emergency departments will be extremely busy this week, more so than usual. The public can seek medical advice and treatment from a local pharmacy, GP, NHS 111 or via the NHS Choices website containing up to date local information.”

Further all-out strike action is due to take place on Wednesday.

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The dispute explained in brief

The term junior doctor is a little misleading. It covers medics who have just graduated from medical school through to those who have more than a decade of experience on the front line.

The starting salary for a junior doctor is currently just under £23,000 a year, but with extra payments for things such as unsociable hours, this can quite easily top £30,000.

Junior doctors at the top end of the scale can earn in excess of £70,000. These doctors can be in charge of teams making life-and-death decisions and carrying out surgery. They are really only behind consultants in seniority.

Basic pay is to be increased by 13.5% on average.

However, that comes at a price: other elements of the pay package are to be curbed, including what constitutes unsociable hours.

Day hours on a Saturday will be paid at a normal rate, while extra premiums that are being offered for night and the rest of the weekend are lower than what is currently paid.

Guaranteed pay increases linked to time in the job are also to be scrapped and replaced with a system linked to progression through set training stages.

For a more in-depth explanation visit:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34775980