One of the biggest stories to hit the headlines in the past few months, is the Junior Doctor Strikes. Unfortunately, this situation has yet to be resolved, and the NHS is gearing up for an extremely difficult summer.
Why are they striking?
The reason for the junior doctor strikes, is over new plans to introduce different contracts for junior doctors in England. There is a fundamental difference in opinion between the doctors, and Jeremy Hunt the Health Secretary.
The proposed contract includes terms such as:
- A 13.5% increase in basic salary, for junior doctors.
- The pay received on a Saturday going down to a normal rate, rather than the premium rate at which it currently stands.
- A different pay system which is linked to training progression, rather than time served.
- Making sure no junior doctors work for more than 72 hours a week (reduced from 91)
However, junior doctors are at odds with this, as they feel that:
- They shouldn’t have to give up their premium pay on a Saturday.
- They believe there should be far more flexibility for doctors who have families.
- They believe that new plans would discriminate against single mothers, due to the cost of evening childcare.
- They want Jeremy Hunt to admit that the only way for them to achieve the Government goal of a seven-day service, is to increase the budget, and the number of staff employed.
How do the Junior doctor strikes impact Paramedics?
This is a situation which directly impacts on paramedic work. A huge number of paramedics are now threatening to follow the lead of junior doctors, and strike too. Hospitals are set to undergo unprecedented levels of disruption and difficulty as a result of this, and many paramedics have been asked to take on extra work or set up temporary units outside of the hospitals themselves.
In the last week, two major unions – GMB and Unison – announced plans to start balloting ambulance staff. The head of GMB stated that ambulance staff are tired of being let down, and pushed around. Like junior doctors, ambulance staff and paramedics feel that they are simply not being paid fairly. If things aren’t resolved quickly, then the junior doctor strikes won’t be the only thing that Jeremy Hunt has to worry about; as ambulance staff will walk out too. This could have a disastrous impact, as more than 110,000 outpatient appointments and 13,000 medical operations will be cancelled or put on hold.
Conclusion
The NHS stands on the brink of a crisis. While the junior doctor strikes would have a disastrous impact, the loss of paramedics and ambulance workers would be even worse. It’s time for Jeremy Hunt to start taking the threat seriously, before it’s too late.
