Resident doctors synicsl strike again

[uneffingbelievable]

The resident doctors have once again announced a 6 day strike to co incide with a bank holiday weekend.

Whilst I support fair pay and working conditions I have lost all sympathy with them. This is not poverty when you are being paid as a whole package 40-95000 gross on a 44 hr week depending on your seniority.

The arguments about lack of jobs did not stack up with more jobs going to home graduates than IMGS despite the hysteria and a huge number of home graduates not even bothering to apply.

They are coming across as tone deaf and entitled or am I missing something.

But you claim so much inside knowledge so you must be medical ? Or how do have all that information about the life of doctors.

And again, your hatred of doctors is outstanding. Assume you're a lawyer ?

I know a lot of doctors well and I know how to research primary sources.

Many F1s in London do not do out of hours. Many don't do nights. Over 900 last year were placeholders (made up jobs that are super numeracy). How do you not know this ???? How do I ? Because I talk to F1s 🤷‍♀️.

What am I envious of ? Lawyers 😂😂😂😂

And currently I'm on a yacht. On the sea near Devon. Since you asked 😇

You know they can't, because it's not a legal reason to strike - you can't strike over taxation or similar things that affect everyone because they're legally enshrined.

You can only strike against pay, conditions or contract terms. The employer could then offer things like reduced loan interest or partial repayment with years in service, but they haven't.

In fact, they've not even done the things they promised in order to end the last set of strikes. Wes reaping what he's sown in that regard - nobody on the negotiating committee is going to accept more promises of reform....

Exactly. Very tiring to see posts from people that have no idea.

On a yacht - and on the sea you say. Well there's a novelty.

You picked a nice day for it.

They're qualified. And have more experience of their field than most graduates have in theirs.

What? Did the student doctors not realise they would, you know, be responsible for their patients? And were they not told that sometimes, you know, people can become ill during the night?

If so, it's outrageous they weren't properly informed about this!

Oh, no wait.....

I am very fond of a few particular doctors and very grateful to the NHS doctors who came through for DH in a big way.

I have clearly expressed concern for career progression issues for doctors and the large debt accrued by medical students. I’ve said I would support employment action focused on these and similar issues.

I did support the pay rise issue in the first strike but right now is too much, too soon, too divisive, too out of touch.
The comparisons with hospital porters are 98% factually incorrect and apparently no one in favour of the strikes thought to check the figures. That breaks trust, in addition to being highly unattractive.

I’ve been very clear throughout that greed over salaries is my only sticking point. Also, if F2s are not applying for further training as the GMC 2024 report shows, that cannot be swept under the rug. It is part of the problem - I make no conjecture about what’s behind it, but it needs to be investigated.

When you and @PurpleFairyLights jump to the conclusions you have been making in the absence of evidence, I am not filled with confidence.

It's bloody freezing !!!! Oilskins not even cutting it today.

I haven't noticed anyone except you (secondary school teacher) and Purplefairylights (junior doctor's mum) respectively claim and infer "inside knowledge". Could you point this out?

Did you read the complete offer Wes gave them ? That if they accept they can not strike again for 3 years (for anything). Along with several pretty anti employment law contracts, brought in at the v last minute when a deal was almost agreed ?

And meanwhile the GMC are trying to change the law so they decide who can be a consultant on the register (anyone as long as they have completed a few tasks). So not all consultants will be doctors. Instead of a 5 year degree, 7-10 years training and many v hard and pricey exams, you'll get your consultant after a 3 year history degree, 18 month PA course and a few years doing a few tasks. No diagnostic training, no pharmacology, limited anatomy.

Im sure some will love this idea. Personally, I'd like to see a doctor.

Absolutely.
Basic take home pay for most porters is £1655.23 per month. I'm personally glad that they get enhancements of + 83% for bank holidays/ Sundays and + 41% for a percentage of their night shifts. A higher % uplift than I get for my banding - but so what? In truth, they won't be able to pay their bills on that basic take home pay.
Let's not forget that the national minimum wage increase in April 2025 meant that most porters( and other staff groups) had to be given a pay rise because they had fallen below the legal minimum otherwise! When you look at the figures sensibly, the comparison is actually nonsense- apples to oranges. The BMA needs new leadership I think.

You’re missing the point. I was commenting on the fact that they have a massive amount of responsibility. What they did or didn’t know at the outset is irrelevant.

A 23yo in an office job makes a bad mistake and, at worst, the company has to spend lots of money to sort it out. A 23yo doctor makes a bad mistake and the patient might die.

I'm glad too, they are awesome humans. F1 take home when this dispute started was £1,725 a month. Make of that what you will. It's now around £2,300 after student loan and pension.

F1s were surveyed and many / the majority found OOH too stressful and wanted to drop it - you can not have it both ways. The delaying of a stressful part of the job for another year does not do them any favours from an experience point of view.

We were asked to increase our F1 allocations and did -all getting trained, all getting paid - what is the problem?

Am struggling to understand what they actually want - a 9-5 job, 4 days per week, a day working form home, a late start and early finish on one day aweek and no weekend working, no OOH, dedicated study time during the day, 1:1 teaching at their convenience and not to be responsible for any decision making - and be paid more? Am I missing something here people do not get sick to a nice timetable and you signed up to work for a 24/7/365 healthcare service

Here to read if interested. Deregulation of doctors. The GMC was founded to prevent quacks.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-the-general-medical-council-legislative-framework

Who surveyed them and when ??? My own DD worked v many out of hours/nights as an F1 - wasn't a choice.

They don't want a 9/5 job ?? Doctors don't get to choose their hours, they are told what their total is. Day off for your wedding ? Computer says no, as you didn't book it 6 months in advance. Because you don't know where you'll be in 6 months.

A 23 yo soldier makes a bad decision; s/he and their comrades die. If commissioned, the soldier is on comparable base pay to F2: if enlisted, less, possibly much less. The soldier’s pay uplifts for considerably harsher working conditions are much less generous, also.

I don’t think the soldier cares and I have never seen a forum where they bang on about it. Do you really think this is the way to bring the public to your side?

Soldiers. See above.

I can't understand why the BMA aren't focussing on university fees.
The nhs paying those, in exchange for nhs service would effectively be a good pay rise anyway. Plus the 50k worth of student loans that take 20+ years to pay back would no longer be a concern. It would be a long term gain for junior drs, very valuable.

Soldiers get free accommodation. And an amazing pension.

Forces doctors as F1s earn 50% more than their non squaddie counterparts. And get their loans repaid.

Wish it was £50k loan (borrowed £56K). DDs is now over £80k as it starts to accrue the 7% interest from the day you take it out. Despite monthly repayments of £200 she doesn't even touch the interest so loan just keeps on growing. She'll repay over £250k before the loan cancels after 30 years.

BMA don't seem to want to do this as not everyone has a student loan (rich parents pay up front), but I agree it would be a fantastic idea ! And v popular.