In what appears to be a political strike by privileged middle class professionals putting patients at risk, junior doctors have today commenced the longest walkout in the history of Britain’s National Health Service (NHS). The six-day strike is only one day longer than action taken in July, but comes at a much worse time, with the week after Christmas and new year tending to be the busiest for hospitals.
Union representatives are demanding a full pay “restoration” to address real-term cuts in pay since 2008. Newspapers say this is equivalent to a 35% pay increase.
What is a junior doctor?
The title ‘junior doctor’ has nothing to do with the professional’s age or even the amount of time they’ve been in the job. It simply refers to a medical graduate who is in further training and is not qualified to work without supervision. They can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has, however, long been accused of playing politics with its wage claims, not least after it accepted a 17.5% pay rise over two years from the SNP-led Scottish government.
The Daily Telegraph said in August last year that the union appeared to be “trying to bring down the government” of Rishi Sunak in the ongoing dispute after Dr. Rob Laurenson, who co-chairs the BMA’s junior doctors committee, suggested it would not accept the deal presented by the SNP had it been offered by the Tories.
It has not gone unnoticed that some bosses of NHS trusts with the longest referral waiting times are earning more—in some cases, much more—than the prime minister.
Despite generous executive remuneration, their patients are suffering significantly due to the strikes. The number of operations and appointments cancelled due to action by junior doctors this week set to top one million. Officials are concerned that this will not only keep the NHS waiting list at its current historically high level but will also deter people from seeking medical help altogether. Age UK Chief Executive Paul Farmer said of the six-day walkout:
We know this is one of the busiest times of the year in the NHS, particularly for urgent and emergency care. We are deeply concerned about the risk this poses to older people’s health as, with the very best will in the world and efforts of staff, it will be difficult to guarantee safe and effective care for everyone who needs it.
The BMA last month rejected a pay rise worth 3%, on top of the average 8.8% increase delivered earlier in the year. But the government will not negotiate further while strike action is ongoing.