48-hour strike by English junior doctors over pay and conditions

[webfact]

48-hour strike by English junior doctors over pay and conditions
By Seamus Kearney



"I've never heard so many people say that they are considering either leaving the profession completely or at least leaving the country"

LONDON: -- A 48-hour strike by junior doctors in England over a new work contract being imposed by the government.

The doctors are angry after being told the contract, which reduces how much they’re paid for working weekends, will be forced through in August after negotiations faltered.

One of the those protesting and collecting signatures for a petition, junior doctor Holly Cooper, told reporters: “It’s a very stressful job, high intensity.

“And to have the government, particularly our Secretary of State for Health telling us that we’re not listening to you, you’re saying that the contract isn’t suitable and it’s not what you want, but I’m just going to impose it anyway.”

Surgical trainee and junior doctor Alex Trevatt said: “In my entire time as a doctor, I’ve never heard so many people say that they are considering either leaving the profession completely or at least leaving the country and going to work somewhere else.

The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has accused the British Medical Association of refusing to compromise in the battle over the contract.

Figures show that junior doctors make up just over 50 percent of all doctors in the National Health Service.

Officials say more than 5,000 operations have been cancelled due to the strike.

Similar action was also taken in January and February, with participation not seen in decades.

The government maintains reform is needed in tough economic times and to improve efficiency; the doctors say there will be no safeguards against working dangerously long hours.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-03-10

[NeverSure]

The wonderful "Free!" NHS cannot last. The government can't afford it because "sooner or later you run out of other people's money" (Thatcher)

When UK doctors begin to move to countries which will actually pay them very well and let them set their own hours (such as in the USA) there will be an even bigger shortage of medical services in the UK. Then those people who said that "health care is a human right" will have to wonder if they are human I'd guess. The care will be "Free!" but it won't be available for humans.

There is never a good ending to socialism. This is the tip of the iceberg.

Cheers.

[colinneil]

Junior doctors are acting like spoilt brats.

Doctors should put patients first, not their own pockets.

[dcpo]

Oh look it's the TV peanut gallery with their incredibly well informed opinions.

[sanukjim]

What are "Junior" doctors ? Interns ?

[atyclb]

Junior doctors are acting like spoilt brats.

Doctors should put patients first, not their own pockets.

the powers that be have traditionally used juniors as cheap labour. when you calculate the wage based upon hours worked it is usually less than the hourly rate for macdonals or burger king employee. the worst issue is that the number of consecutive hours worked is DANGEROUS to patients but the powers that be dont care as they squeeze maximum labour for unit cost.

imagine a pilot or bus driver performing continuously for 24 - 36 or more hours. would you like to be a passenger??

[little mary sunshine]

You Brits with your wonderful "free" heal care, half of

The doctors are junior, residents, trainees....You get what

You pay for!!!

[RuamRudy]

You Brits with your wonderful "free" heal care, half of

The doctors are junior, residents, trainees....You get what

You pay for!!!

We are not talking Dougie Howzer here. Junior doctor is a term used to describe qualified medical practitioners who work in a medical capacity whilst undertaking post graduate studies.

The majority of Brits will defend the NHS to the end. We are almost united in rejecting the US model as being something from a backward, bygone era.

Sadly our government is ideologically enslaved to the idea of allowing your perfidious health 'care' companies to dismantle our NHS for their shareholders' profit.

[RuamRudy]

What are "Junior" doctors ? Interns ?

Why are you liking comments denigrating Junior Doctors if you don't even understand the fundamental issue? Edited March 10, 2016 by RuamRudy

[RuamRudy]

The wonderful "Free!" NHS cannot last. The government can't afford it because "sooner or later you run out of other people's money" (Thatcher)

When UK doctors begin to move to countries which will actually pay them very well and let them set their own hours (such as in the USA) there will be an even bigger shortage of medical services in the UK. Then those people who said that "health care is a human right" will have to wonder if they are human I'd guess. The care will be "Free!" but it won't be available for humans.

There is never a good ending to socialism. This is the tip of the iceberg.

Cheers.

The NHS is not socialism. It is a world wide respected institute that is considered to be one of the greatest UK accomplishments of the last century.

Sadly our government is intent on fundamentally undermining the NHS, with the ultimate goal of privatising health services in the UK entirely.

Sadly they see the US model as being the future, whereas most rational people would, I am sure, agree that for any country to consider itself progressive, it should not restrict full health care only to those who can afford it.

[i claudius]

Oh my heart bleeds , you have to work long hard hours for low pay so that when you qualify you can earn loads of money , my ex worked free in a solicitors office for a long time , until she became a solicitor , she now earns loads of money . you don't like the terms ,don't take the job.

Edited March 10, 2016 by i claudius

[RuamRudy]

Oh my heart bleeds , you have to work long hard hours for low pay so that when you qualify you can earn loads of money , my ex worked free in a solicitors office for a long time , until she became a solicitor , she now earns loads of money . you don't like the terms ,don't take the job.

That is not an argument, that is whataboutery.

And your ex didn't have the lives of others in her hands routinely.

[emilymat]

What are "Junior" doctors ? Interns ?

It's an odd expression, from the old days.

Essentially I think it covers nearly everyone up to the consultant grade. The title gives the impression of 'interns' as you call them, and is understandable.

Consultants are free to negotiate their own contracts with the NHS whereas the lesser mortals have agreed contracts in bulk. Goes right back to 1947 when the NHS was established. In order to persuade consultant types to serve in NHS, they were given all sort of goodies in contractual terms in order they could carry on with their lucrative private practice at the same time. Anyone below that grade was a 'junior'.

[atyclb]

Oh my heart bleeds , you have to work long hard hours for low pay so that when you qualify you can earn loads of money , my ex worked free in a solicitors office for a long time , until she became a solicitor , she now earns loads of money . you don't like the terms ,don't take the job.

thats not even a persuasive rationalization.

if your ex is educated, intelligent and has a high income why did you call it quits?

[Baerboxer]

Junior doctors are acting like spoilt brats.

Doctors should put patients first, not their own pockets.

The demands put on junior doctors, the hours, the length of continuous shifts, the poor pay and benefits are outrageous. And have been for a very long while.

Most of the waste, poor operations and poor patient services in the NHS are down to poor, bureaucratic, non medical management, many of whom are shown up in public inquiries to be exactly that.

A friend and colleague was commissioned to produce a study by one health authority in the early 90"s. The didn't like what her research into management practices found out. But, AFAIK, nothing has changed on that side.

[canthai55]

Junior doctors are acting like spoilt brats.

Doctors should put patients first, not their own pockets.

try going to Medical school, racking up huge debts in Student Loans, finally get a paid position doing a job that 90% or more of people would not do, work incredibly long hours under miserable conditions. Pay peanuts - get monkeys.

[IAMHERE]

Junior doctors are acting like spoilt brats.

Doctors should put patients first, not their own pockets.

From those according to their abilities and to those according to their needs.

[steve187]

Junior doctors are i believe qualified doctor that are taking further postgraduate work to become a GP or Consultant, then to become members of a medical royal college, so in fact the backbone of any hospital, and it is an insult to compere to an intern, as some posters have done, they work incredable long hours for a pitance.

The government can not just cahange contracts at a whim, find the money from the members and running costs of the houses of parliament.

edit - the backbone of any hospital alongside the nursing staff

Edited March 10, 2016 by steve187

[i claudius]

Oh my heart bleeds , you have to work long hard hours for low pay so that when you qualify you can earn loads of money , my ex worked free in a solicitors office for a long time , until she became a solicitor , she now earns loads of money . you don't like the terms ,don't take the job.

thats not even a persuasive rationalization.

if your ex is educated, intelligent and has a high income why did you call it quits?

I am also educated,intelligent and had a large income ,but I had an affair with a girl with big tits

[F430murci]

Junior doctors are acting like spoilt brats.

Doctors should put patients first, not their own pockets.

What a ridiculous point of view. People invest a whole lot of time, money and effort to be or doctors and deserve to be compensated for that investment. If they are not being compensated appropriately, they have just as much right as anyone else to complain. What is sickening is the fast food worker type complaining about pay when they could not even muster the effort, responsibility or brain power to graduate high school.

The medical profession is valuable and we need the creame of the crop being attracted to this field. All of this entitlement let's give free health care to the loser faction and broke immigrants bs is depleting the system and negatively impacting the wrong people. The system is broken and needs to be fixed. This is basically the only means and the last ditch effort to fix a broken system or the system will either cease to exist or your medical devices will be provided by a bunch of fast food worker types looking to make their $15.00 an hour.

Edited March 10, 2016 by F430murci

[NeverSure]

The wonderful "Free!" NHS cannot last. The government can't afford it because "sooner or later you run out of other people's money" (Thatcher)

When UK doctors begin to move to countries which will actually pay them very well and let them set their own hours (such as in the USA) there will be an even bigger shortage of medical services in the UK. Then those people who said that "health care is a human right" will have to wonder if they are human I'd guess. The care will be "Free!" but it won't be available for humans.

There is never a good ending to socialism. This is the tip of the iceberg.

Cheers.

The NHS is not socialism. It is a world wide respected institute that is considered to be one of the greatest UK accomplishments of the last century.

Sadly our government is intent on fundamentally undermining the NHS, with the ultimate goal of privatising health services in the UK entirely.

Sadly they see the US model as being the future, whereas most rational people would, I am sure, agree that for any country to consider itself progressive, it should not restrict full health care only to those who can afford it.

Progressive. It's progressing into bankruptcy. Defend it to the very, very bitter ending.

I've never seen a government anywhere that could operate a whorehouse without bankrupting it.

Cheers.

[RuamRudy]

The wonderful "Free!" NHS cannot last. The government can't afford it because "sooner or later you run out of other people's money" (Thatcher)

When UK doctors begin to move to countries which will actually pay them very well and let them set their own hours (such as in the USA) there will be an even bigger shortage of medical services in the UK. Then those people who said that "health care is a human right" will have to wonder if they are human I'd guess. The care will be "Free!" but it won't be available for humans.

There is never a good ending to socialism. This is the tip of the iceberg.

Cheers.

The NHS is not socialism. It is a world wide respected institute that is considered to be one of the greatest UK accomplishments of the last century.

Sadly our government is intent on fundamentally undermining the NHS, with the ultimate goal of privatising health services in the UK entirely.

Sadly they see the US model as being the future, whereas most rational people would, I am sure, agree that for any country to consider itself progressive, it should not restrict full health care only to those who can afford it.

Progressive. It's progressing into bankruptcy. Defend it to the very, very bitter ending.

I've never seen a government anywhere that could operate a whorehouse without bankrupting it.

Cheers.

It is being deliberately strangled and undermined by a government who despises its existence on purely ideological grounds.

It has preformed nigh on miracles for almost 70 years. It may not be prefect but it is head and shoulders above any other country's health care.

[atyclb]

Junior doctors are i believe qualified doctor that are taking further postgraduate work to become a GP or Consultant, then to become members of a medical royal college, so in fact the backbone of any hospital, and it is an insult to compere to an intern, as some posters have done, they work incredable long hours for a pitance.

The government can not just cahange contracts at a whim, find the money from the members and running costs of the houses of parliament.

edit - the backbone of any hospital alongside the nursing staff

its not actually an insult to compare interns to juniors.

theres many levels of post graduate training r1 to as many as 7 or 8 years r7 r8. the interns deserve as much credit as do those at any level since they will also become r2's and higher.

[atyclb]

Oh my heart bleeds , you have to work long hard hours for low pay so that when you qualify you can earn loads of money , my ex worked free in a solicitors office for a long time , until she became a solicitor , she now earns loads of money . you don't like the terms ,don't take the job.

thats not even a persuasive rationalization.

if your ex is educated, intelligent and has a high income why did you call it quits?

I am also educated,intelligent and had a large income ,but I had an affair with a girl with big tits

LOL. were they worth it? i guess they were very firm as you lost your marriage for them. he he

[smutcakes]

The wonderful "Free!" NHS cannot last. The government can't afford it because "sooner or later you run out of other people's money" (Thatcher)

When UK doctors begin to move to countries which will actually pay them very well and let them set their own hours (such as in the USA) there will be an even bigger shortage of medical services in the UK. Then those people who said that "health care is a human right" will have to wonder if they are human I'd guess. The care will be "Free!" but it won't be available for humans.

There is never a good ending to socialism. This is the tip of the iceberg.

Cheers.

The NHS is not socialism. It is a world wide respected institute that is considered to be one of the greatest UK accomplishments of the last century.

Sadly our government is intent on fundamentally undermining the NHS, with the ultimate goal of privatising health services in the UK entirely.

Sadly they see the US model as being the future, whereas most rational people would, I am sure, agree that for any country to consider itself progressive, it should not restrict full health care only to those who can afford it.

Progressive. It's progressing into bankruptcy. Defend it to the very, very bitter ending.

I've never seen a government anywhere that could operate a whorehouse without bankrupting it.

Cheers.

Wow your bitter about the UK.

The NHS has been and will continue to be a very valued and highly thought of body. It has been there a long time and will continue to be so. Yes it may need fine tuning and tweaking to make it more sustainable, but it will never be taken away as the British people are very proud of it, and rightly so.

Perhaps you could detail why it will bankrupt us? I won't hold my breath for any substantial response.

[nontabury]

The wonderful "Free!" NHS cannot last. The government can't afford it because "sooner or later you run out of other people's money" (Thatcher)

When UK doctors begin to move to countries which will actually pay them very well and let them set their own hours (such as in the USA) there will be an even bigger shortage of medical services in the UK. Then those people who said that "health care is a human right" will have to wonder if they are human I'd guess. The care will be "Free!" but it won't be available for humans.

There is never a good ending to socialism. This is the tip of the iceberg.

Cheers.

The NHS is not socialism. It is a world wide respected institute that is considered to be one of the greatest UK accomplishments of the last century.

Sadly our government is intent on fundamentally undermining the NHS, with the ultimate goal of privatising health services in the UK entirely.

Sadly they see the US model as being the future, whereas most rational people would, I am sure, agree that for any country to consider itself progressive, it should not restrict full health care only to those who can afford it.

Agree, the NHS is something that ALL Brits should be proud of. Unfortunately it is now under threat from the proposed TTIP agreement between the EU and the USA. If this comes about it will mean that the NHS will become a variation of the American health care system. And who is prepared to accept this,none other than the Conservative,Liberal,Labour parties along with the SNP, that is of course if we remain in the EU.

[RuamRudy]

The wonderful "Free!" NHS cannot last. The government can't afford it because "sooner or later you run out of other people's money" (Thatcher)

When UK doctors begin to move to countries which will actually pay them very well and let them set their own hours (such as in the USA) there will be an even bigger shortage of medical services in the UK. Then those people who said that "health care is a human right" will have to wonder if they are human I'd guess. The care will be "Free!" but it won't be available for humans.

There is never a good ending to socialism. This is the tip of the iceberg.

Cheers.

The NHS is not socialism. It is a world wide respected institute that is considered to be one of the greatest UK accomplishments of the last century.

Sadly our government is intent on fundamentally undermining the NHS, with the ultimate goal of privatising health services in the UK entirely.

Sadly they see the US model as being the future, whereas most rational people would, I am sure, agree that for any country to consider itself progressive, it should not restrict full health care only to those who can afford it.

Agree, the NHS is something that ALL Brits should be proud of. Unfortunately it is now under threat from the proposed TTIP agreement between the EU and the USA. If this comes about it will mean that the NHS will become a variation of the American health care system. And who is prepared to accept this,none other than the Conservative,Liberal,Labour parties along with the SNP, that is of course if we remain in the EU.

I fully agree with you that the NHS is under attack in general, and by the TTIP specifically, however you are incorrect to suggest that the SNP is supportive of it in any form that will impact public services. This statement makes that clear.

[Denim]

Low wages is one issue. Excessively long working hours on call is another.

The latter puts patients lifes at risk.

[NeverSure]

The NHS is already tits up. It's in its death throes. It's just a matter of time. Socialism always runs out of other people's money.

How can anyone think that something is free when the taxes that sneak in from every direction drive the cost of living so high that people can't afford to live there?

Unfortunately we can't finish this conversation today because the very end hasn't arrived and the Pollyannas still think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Well, that is until they actually need service. The cracks in the dyke just keep getting bigger.

We'll have to wait for the total collapse to finish this conversation.

Cheers.

[nontabury]

The wonderful "Free!" NHS cannot last. The government can't afford it because "sooner or later you run out of other people's money" (Thatcher)

When UK doctors begin to move to countries which will actually pay them very well and let them set their own hours (such as in the USA) there will be an even bigger shortage of medical services in the UK. Then those people who said that "health care is a human right" will have to wonder if they are human I'd guess. The care will be "Free!" but it won't be available for humans.

There is never a good ending to socialism. This is the tip of the iceberg.

Cheers.

The NHS is not socialism. It is a world wide respected institute that is considered to be one of the greatest UK accomplishments of the last century.

Sadly our government is intent on fundamentally undermining the NHS, with the ultimate goal of privatising health services in the UK entirely.

Sadly they see the US model as being the future, whereas most rational people would, I am sure, agree that for any country to consider itself progressive, it should not restrict full health care only to those who can afford it.

Agree, the NHS is something that ALL Brits should be proud of. Unfortunately it is now under threat from the proposed TTIP agreement between the EU and the USA. If this comes about it will mean that the NHS will become a variation of the American health care system. And who is prepared to accept this,none other than the Conservative,Liberal,Labour parties along with the SNP, that is of course if we remain in the EU.

I fully agree with you that the NHS is under attack in general, and by the TTIP specifically, however you are incorrect to suggest that the SNP is supportive of it in any form that will impact public services. This statement makes that clear.

This just shows another of the untruths spouted out by the two faced SNP.

If the UK votes to stay in this undemocratic organization, it Must abide by the the decision of the Brussels bureaucrats,it certainly cannot pick and choose what to accept. This is precisely why we are having a referendum this June. There are certain policies of the EU that the British people do not except,e.g open boarders. If the UK votes to remain in, it MUST accept ALL the EU rules.

Likewise if Scotland were to separate and is allowed to join the EU, it would HAVE to accept all these same rules including of course being forced to use the Euro in addition to implementing the TTIP agreement.

Edited March 21, 2016 by nontabury