Junior Doctors strike

Its strange that the government lifted the bankers bonus cap in order to remain competitive with other countries. Junior doctors are leaving in droves to head to Canada, USA, Germany, Australia etc where they have much better pay and conditions. We definitely need to pay such essential workers a salary equal to elsewhere if we don't want the NHS to collapse completely. If we can afford to pay billions to the likes of test n trace and Michelle Mone , then we should pay our medics competitively.

I want the brightest and best qualified people to take care of people who are ill. To do that the medical profession needs to pay a reasonable salary. A bright school leaver looking at the financial rewards wouldn't choose medicine .
The law pays more, financial services pay more, even the Civil Service pays more. There is something wrong with a system which values the care of people less than any of those.

When I was having treatment every three weeks I found the junior doctors to be wonderful. They were patient, usually on time and listened to any worries I had. I cannot say the same for the consultants.

So yes I support them and the nurses 100%.

They have to do workplace training before being fully qualified. Rather like being a lawyer, passing your exams doesn’t qualify you to practise.

Germanshepherdsmum

A junior doctor is paid just over £14 an hour for their first year of workplace training. So not a fully qualified doctor.

These junior doctors, getting £14 per hour ARE fully qualified doctors, just not specialists .

The BMA has published tables on pay. It’s not straightforward £14 per hour if anyone is interested.

A junior doctor is paid just over £14 an hour for their first year of workplace training. So not a fully qualified doctor.

varian

I think it is a pity that all hospital doctors below consultant level are called junior doctors, which gives a misleading impression of the age, qualifications, experience and responsibilty of doctors in their late twenties and thirties.

Exactly!

I think it is a pity that all hospital doctors below consultant level are called junior doctors, which gives a misleading impression of the age, qualifications, experience and responsibilty of doctors in their late twenties and thirties.

I believe a newly qualified doctor earns around £14 an hour. Some cleaners are paid more.

MaizieD young in training architects, accountants, scientists, teachers, university lecturers, engineers are not at all well remunerated. They face exactly the same issues as junior doctors in terms of housing, cost of living crisis etc. To my knowledge young professionals are not demanding 35 per cent pay rises. I am surprised that you think this category of valued worker is the lowest common denominator.

Not everyone wants to work in the financial sector.

Not that old chestnut again Maizie. We might as well stop paying taxes then.

Germanshepherdsmum

Financial sector employees aren’t paid by the taxpayer are they?

Where does nearly all the UK's money come from, GSM? Who issues it?
Who has complete sovereignty over how much it can issue and who it can issue it to?

The taxpayer does not pay NHS staff, the government does with money that it can issue at will.

The financial markets just gamble with that money, but it's still, put in your terms 'taxpayers (public) money' It just doesn't get paid directly to them.

Financial sector employees aren’t paid by the taxpayer are they?

Not an eyelid is batted about the obscene amount of money “professional” footballers are paid. We seem to value sports personalities far more than our medical staff in this country.

One doctor on tv said he could not afford to live near his hospital in Oxford. Lots of young professionals find themselves in this situation too.

Instead of insinuating that doctors shouldn't be trying to be better off than other young professionals, how about comparing them with the highly paid financial sector employees of a similar age?

I don't understand why everyone has to be reduced to the lowest common denominator...

By Junior, they do not mean newly qualified it means anyone below the consultant level.

Exactly, Yammy

This should be written in bold and capital letters.

Junior doctors are NOT the lowest form of doctor, the term covers all doctors up to consultant level. This could be doctors in their late 30s and 40s with many years of experience under their belts and holding responsible positions.

Others have pointed out the difference between nominal and real wage increases so I won't go over it again..

@ronib ALL NHS staff deserve pay rises to bring them back in real terms to where they were 13years ago. Sadly, it won't happen.

Send them over here. We are short of Doctors. Mind you, we don’t pay them too well,either. I think the average is about $200,000 p.a. but they have to have premises and receptionists etc.

If you want to retain staff you have to pay them well and treat them well and with respect.
Do we want doctors?
If so, that is what we should do, it is really not complicated

I live in an area where it is apparent that some doctors/consultants are paid extremely well. I always thought that junior doctors were still effectively in training and that the majority were aiming to become consultants around 10 years after graduating.

One doctor on tv said he could not afford to live near his hospital in Oxford. Lots of young professionals find themselves in this situation too.
If the junior doctors need 35 per cent extra, how much more do nurses, physios etc need?

choughdancer

As lixy says, 'junior doctors' is a misleading term, and I think it should be removed or changed to reflect what they do. 'Junior' inevitably suggests 'lesser' or 'lower' in rank, as if they are not really quite proper doctors yet!

The term Junior Doctors has and is being used by all media regarding this strike.

As lixy says, 'junior doctors' is a misleading term, and I think it should be removed or changed to reflect what they do. 'Junior' inevitably suggests 'lesser' or 'lower' in rank, as if they are not really quite proper doctors yet!

GrammyGrammy!!!! Really ??
As Blondiescot says if ever you are unfortunate enough to need a junior doctor to save your life please use Dr Google instead - good luck with that!!

GrammyGrammy

They know less than you and google so it's no loss. Probably less people will die from their idiocy over those days.

wow, just wow !

GrammyGrammy

They know less than you and google so it's no loss. Probably less people will die from their idiocy over those days.

Seriously? I sincerely hope you never have to rely on a junior doctor to save your life then. Just google it instead...