Junior doctors strike

My daughter who works 3 days a week at a local hospital and has been a doctor for 11 years, has to claim universal credit to supplement her salary. She has a nanny to look after her two junior school girls on the days she works and the cost of the nanny cancels out her salary. It's heartbreaking to see her struggle with her finances. Hopefully, when the girls are at secondary school, she will be able to work full time in the job she loves.

I hope and trust the BMA comes down heavily on any GP who agrees to "cover in A&E"

Hospitals will be left with doctors to man A&E and presumably to treat those with life-threatening conditions .

How would you all have felt during your working life and you went on strike towards strike-breakers?

It is the British Medical Association's job to support its members and tell the government exactly where it gets off if any coercive measures are put in place to break the strike in any way.

I support the junior doctors' strike. Yes, patients will suffer and die, but it is not just strikes that cause this. Patients suffer and die unnecessarily because of staff shortages, exhausted and burnt-out staff, and huge backlogs in diagnosis and treatment. This is what happens when a Government starves the NHS of funds. The NHS itself is dying. It makes me angry, it makes me weep.

I too think doctors should be well paid however the Tories are hellbent on privatising the NHS so all these strikes are playing into their hands.
They don’t care about ‘Joe Bloggs’ in pain, waiting for a hip replacement or ‘Jean Bloggs’ having a breast lump investigated. It’s all about money.

Primrose53

My late Mum lived opposite a doctors surgery. The staff car park was right outside her kitchen window. All the doctors had top of the range cars. A few of them live in the village in hugely expensive properties, on the most exclusive part of the coast.

My friends daughter is a consultant anaesthetist and is so comfortably off that her husband has never had to work and has been a house husband bringing up their 3 kids.

I have never seen a hard up doctor! Some of them really do need to up their game and start seeing patients instead of phoning them, they need to smarten up instead of turning in for work like they’ve just been digging the garden and they need to listen to patients more. I know several people who have now passed away or are seriously ill because their GP didn’t listen to them and failed to refer them to hospital. Nothing ever happens to these GPs and that is very wrong.

I have never seen a hard up doctor!

Why would you want to or expect to. That is a really odd remark.

Some of them really do need to up their game and start seeing patients instead of phoning them, they need to smarten up instead of turning in for work like they’ve just been digging the garden and they need to listen to patients more.

Why would anyone think like this? They have skills that are transferable almost anywhere in the world. They, like most people where there are shortages, expect to get an at least reasonable rate of pay for what they do - and why wouldn't they?

I forgot to add she is a single parent

Just a comment- my son is a senior consultant surgeon. The junior doctors are being paid the same now, as he was fifteen years ago. At that time, he also had free accommodation, food, rooms cleaned, fees paid etc - so he was in a much better position then than the doctors are now. Next week, he will be covering for the junior doctors and will try to do some urgent cancer operations as well - exhausting. After 20 years training, he gets paid the same as some train drivers. In order to pay the likes of Mick Lynch, train fares rise and we have to pay that. So how do we pay the doctors and consultants what they are worth? Perhaps reduce the numbers of highly paid and not always very useful, hospital managers. Perhaps we should have a charge for appointments and pay for food whilst in hospital- my daughter is a GP and says that 60% plus of daily patients do not need to be there. Somehow, our health care, needs to be paid for- maybe via a health tax? So much can be done now for us but at an enormous cost. It is too easy to make it political - but where will any party find the money for free, increasingly expensive health care?

I agree 100 per cent. 5hey are worth every penny.

Doctors swear "do not harm"

volver3

Sometimes when I read posts on here I just want to cry.

Pay them what they're worth for goodness sake.

Me too Volver.

I think the doctors' strike is shameful, calculated to cause the maximum disruption following four days closure of most medical facilities and to strike fear in the hearts of the most vulnerable.
I agree: do no harm.

mabon1

Doctors swear "do not harm"

So would you rather they stopped being doctors? I imagine most could get into other, much better-paid careers with all the education and training they have been through.

Or would you suggest they take their skills to another country, where they would be appropriately paid?

Please tell me where the logic is in your comment.

^ It is too easy to make it political - but where will any party find the money for free, increasingly expensive health care?^

A government can always find the money for what it wants to do, montymops.

The UK was broke after WW2 but still managed to fund the Welfare State and nationalise key industries. This didn't cause a decline, in fact it led to improved living standards and wages. It wasn't a party political 'thing' either, MacMillan's tory government managed to fund a big social housebuilding programme.

All the money spent into the NHS (and other public services) helps to grow the economy and to sustain private enterprises both large and small. Do not be thinking that state spending equals throwing money into a deep pit where it is never seen again. It is estimated that every £1 spent on the NHS generates £4 worth of economic activity.

As others have said on this thread, the government doesn't want to spend the money...

OTOH, the government seems quite comfortable with this:

Government’s annual reports and accounts estimate fraud against the taxpayer rose from £5.5 billion in total over the two years before the pandemic (2018‑19 and 2019-20) to £21 billion in total over the two years since the start of the pandemic (2020-21 and 2021-22)

According to this report from the National Audit Office

www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/tackling-fraud-and-corruption-against-government-summary.pdf

ronib

Gps are required to take two years general training immediately after 5 year degree course and then undertake three years gp training. So two years in general training implies junior doctor status at that point and then trainee gp?

Thankfully so far husband is better and out of crisis and in annoying mode.

Glad your DH is starting to recover Siope, even if he is annoying you!

The NHS is on it's knees and has been going that way since it was turned over to businesses instead of a NATIONAL Health Service. Far too much money is wasted on outsourcing and profit making which could have been spent through the years on giving doctors and nursed a decent wage commensurate with their skills.

I think we all have to support this strike, and any others in public services for these strikes are not just about pay, they are about working conditions, about public services running on the goodwill of staff doing more and more beyond their expected role. If we want to have some sort of free at the point of use health service, we must stop these Tories from dismantling it, from forcing more and more of us into paying for what we need, assuming we are able to do so of course. I am not great fan of the man, but in 2019, Corbyn warned the electorate that this would happen......

HPG not my husband (although he has his annoying moments!)

Easybee - such a swelling generalisation of dedicated hard working individuals, shame on you!

This appalling Govt has to go.

They’ve planned this public sector disaster right across the piece:- Drs, nurses, fire service, teachers. Then, we have Tory ministers wanting £10k for a “consultation”!!!

I’m furious on behalf of our workers.

perhaps reduce the numbers of highly paid and not always very useful Hospital managers.

I know that the NHS is a highly emotive subject with strong views, and it is understandable we won’t agree.

However I think we lose credibility if we use unfounded myths as part of our argument.

For example:
The myth that the NHS has too many over paid managers has long been disproved, and in fact the NHS is under managed with only around 2% of managers. Fewer that other major organisations. (Binley Database of NHS Management)

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Siope

HPG not my husband (although he has his annoying moments!)

Suite My husband! Such a relief not to have to take him to a&e today of all days!
A very anxious 3 days all in all.

my daughter is a GP and says that 60% plus of daily patients do not need to be there

Really……60% plus!

HousePlantQueen

ronib

Gps are required to take two years general training immediately after 5 year degree course and then undertake three years gp training. So two years in general training implies junior doctor status at that point and then trainee gp?

Thankfully so far husband is better and out of crisis and in annoying mode.

Glad your DH is starting to recover Siope, even if he is annoying you!

Sorry! . I meant Ronib

Recently saw a table of newly qualified docs earnings and at a starting salary of £20k plus overtime etc no wonder they feel badly done to. BUT they are definitely putting lives at risk by striking and people will die as a result of their actions.
If my DH was still alive I would be really frightened that he would not get the speedy treatment he might need and thousands of others must be in that situation right now.
It has to be down to the govt to sort this out and shame on them for letting this situation get so out of hand.