Junior Doctors Strike

Junior doctors are angry because a new contract will change their normal working week hours from 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday  to 7 am to 10 pm Monday to Saturday. Time they work outside these normal hours are currently paid at enhanced rates. The BMA and Department of Health have been in negotiation for some time but talks broke down in the summer over threats that the health secretary will impose a new contract.

The health secretary has said that only 1% of doctors will be worse off, but that is largely because they will protect the pay of junior doctors for the next three years. After that time it is unclear what will happen but the BMA has said that 75% of doctors would be worse off and new junior doctors certainly would be worse off.

With these changes the Department of Health is trying to make it cheaper for hospitals to have more junior doctors working unsocial hours and at weekends. But they already do weekend and unsocial hours so junior doctors think they are just trying to get a pay cut under the guise of providing a 24 hour, 7 day a week hospital service.

The strike is planned for Tuesday 1st December, Tuesday 8th December and Wednesday 16th December.  Kings Medical Practice is a training practice and we have junior doctors training with us. I don't know whether they are going on strike or not but it will have minimal impact as on the Tuesdays our trainees have a morning for private study and then attend a teaching session all afternoon and on the Wednesday all our doctors are always in the practice.


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