Junior Doctors contract and possible strike

[Floraclare]

What are people's views on the new Junior Doctor contract and possible strike?

I never thought I would strike, but feel like Junior Doctors may be left with no choice. I've been a doctor for over 8 years and prior to this had studied for 7-years. I will be disproportionately affected by the changes as I have young children and will lose maternity pay protection - I have also changed specialty to Psychiatry, which is a specialty that has a severe recruitment crisis - however, I will no longer be rewarded for my prior experience and can expect a large pay cut. I already frequently work long and unsafe shifts, sometimes working up to 24-hours with barely a break - however, the Trust I work for currently has to monitor our hours and can be fined when we persistently work unsafe shifts. The new contract will remove the obligation to monitor hours and will lead to an increase in unsafe hours

I am not rich, I couldn't afford to buy in London - but have managed to buy a 2-bed flat outside London and I feel very lucky to have been able to do this. However, if I receive a pay cut of 30%, I would not be able to pay my mortgage. If this is forced upon us, I would need to consider either moving abroad or a change in career, which makes me very very sad.

I work hard and although I mostly love my job, it is incredibly demanding - and I've been called numerous times at 4am to come and assess someone who is acutely psychotic, manic or suicidal and even though I'm often exhausted, I do my best to offer the best support and care that I can. Do I really deserve a pay cut?

The government has persistently argued that bankers need to be paid huge bonuses or the country will lose their talents - are doctors really worth so much less? Are we greedy for thinking that a 30% pay cut is unfair? Should we be penalised for having children?

The thought of striking is horrendous and makes me feel horribly sad, but I'm horrified by what is being done to the NHS - and I'm concerned that in the long run, patient safety will be far more affected by a demoralised workforce and increased gaps in rotas due to medics moving abroad or leaving the profession. We already have a huge recruitment crisis across many specialties

I would be behind a strike. I am wholly against these insane cuts.
I remember the midwives striking not long ago, and I was behind those strikes even though I was 9mo pregnant at the time.

You are right that bankers bonus are obscene, not to mention Westminster all recently received a 10% pay rise.

How do we a allow this to happen? Because a lack of unionised workers.

The finance industry receive obscene pay and legislation to their favour, because they have a private budget of £millions a year to lobby the gvt.

Other industries only have the collective voice of the workforce. Use it.

Thanks for the reply - I've never seen doctors as angry as they are at present - and some of the most caring and professional people that I know are willing to strike.

I feel it has got to the point where the long term harm to patient care caused by a demoralised work force and doctors leaving England, justifies any short term harm caused by a strike - it's horribly sad though

If anyone is interested, this explains it all well

jrdr.blog.com

I would strongly support "emergency work only" action. (Though even a work to rule/contract would cause major problems for the NHS, if held for a longer period...). I'm afraid I'd struggle (ethically) with an actual walk out.

This contract is obscene. And will totally scupper recruitment. Imposing a major pay cut, and increase in hours? And after the introduction of uni fees, and the raid on the pensions? How the hell are we meant to encourage the brightest and best to continue training in this country?

(Ps the ethical issue isn't to do with loss of public opinion - the papers/politicians pretty much destroy that anyway - I literally mean BH level emergency care cover, because even though full strike action might well save lifes in the longterm, I could not live with the local short term death potential. And yes, I know. That doctors have a conscience and politicians do not is one of the reasons for getting shafted)

If they get away with it, they will deplete the NHS of doctors, as people will emigrate to find jobs that not just pay them well, but treat them with decency.
Plus, they will move onto the next group and decimate the next group of professionals.
An excuse to contact out more parts of the NHS?
You should strike.

I am with the doctors. We all recognise that if we as a country want a 24/7 NHS we need more doctors (and nurses and receptionists and radiologists and pharmacists et al).

Doctors are facing a recruitment crisis. Whatever you happen to believe about their hours or remuneration, the stark reality is they are facing a recruitment crisis.

The way to respond to a recruitment crisis is not to cut wages. That's insane.

I would support an "emergency only" strike. I want taxes to rise to ensure the NHS is strong and safe not lurching in an overtired zombie state from one crisis to the next. There's another thread on this here

Thanks for posting this OP it is very interesting to see. I am an old gimmer who trained as a doctor in the days of 1 in 2 rotas where you worked 90 hours one week and 110 the next and were paid 1/3 rate for weekends and bank holidays. I remember working one Christmas on a four day shift when even the ward cleaner was being paid more than me. It was punishing and resulted in mistakes being made, tears and breakdowns and people leaving the profession broken by it. We held on because we knew when we reached consultant status we would have junior doctors to cover the night and weekend shifts. Ha!
Then the European working hours directive came in and (hooray !) limited weekly working hours to 48. This was a massive improvement in attitude and has changed the culture of training posts. Consultants now have to come in and share the workload "out of hours" too. Pay reflects the work done and it is no longer cheaper to flog two young doctors round the clock rather than pay a team to work on shifts.
We are going full circle back to the days of old, but without the doctor's dining room, the on call accommodation or the doctors mess that made life a bit more bearable at Christmas. I am just glad I am nearly out the other end and can look forward to seeing my family at weekends and sleeping all night. Oh but I won't see my DD because she will be working at the hospital....
I would support a strike. It will be the rest of us next year.

I am a final year trainee, going to be a consultant from April. My husband is a consultant in stroke medicine.
I can't imagine we'll be staying. We're looking into moving to Canada....
Where the pay is twice as good for fewer hours and the government isn't trying to screw you over on your pension at every step.

I'll be supporting you too.

We won't be happy in the UK until we have spoiled a number of great systems...I feel for teachers too

I don't want to receive medical care from tired stressed and exhausted Heath care staff

It's no life and no way would I work for 35-40 years in that environment either

I'm not sure if YABU, but the new proposals are certainly insane.

I've never supported strike action in my life (and I'm a teacher so had plenty of opportunity!) but, on this occasion, I think I might.

Maybe not an actual strike but certainly a threatened one. I don't think I could actually cope with the idea that someone might die because someone else refused to work. Is that what's meant by an emergency only strike? That you'd treat someone who was dying in front of you? What about scheduled vital operations, would they happen?

I think I'm on the fence. The government deserve for you to strike. But the general population would be the ones to suffer.