Junior Doctors strike

Cossy

I would also point out, and know someone whose son was in this very situation, during training it’s really hard to get the contracts required in hospitals to continue and there don’t appear to be enough posts either for newly qualified doctors. Also the term “junior” doctors is most misleading.

I should have said junior doctors are now “resident doctors”.

Unfortunately the constant criticism of England and the evil regime at Westminster no matter whose in power, does get extremely irritating and tiresome. More so, because not one person on here ever criticises the Scottish government no matter how appallingly awful it and it's ministers are!

I do have sympathy for junior doctors their pay has fallen a great deal.

For comparison my second GD has just completed training as A Norland Nanny 3 yrs college plus 1 yr probationary. At 23yrs old is on full pay £42k a year. !

Her training is no where near the level of a doctor, but its private sector and thats the going rate, she has one 18month old and a baby on the way, so she will stay for the foreseeable future. She works normal hours normal days off and holidays but is flexible to suit employer

One down side, she is always traveling overseas with the family. It what she always wanted to do

Jaberwok I try not to miss a chance to mention how abysmal the Scottish 'government' is! I live in Scotland and know how dire the situation is.

Aveline, I certainly had no intention of singling out Scotland or causing any discord. Our Westminster government IS dire that is for certain, and while for me it's fine to criticise your own government, but to go on about about somebody else's (even when it's true!) does over time begin to grate on that 'somebody else!! ' I'm sure you'd feel the same.

I agree Jaberwok but can't keep quiet when people go on praising a government that I know to be doing a very incompetent job.

Oh yes, I agree, that is equally annoying, but I still think it's better to be polite(ish!) and tactful when criticising someone else's government! Probably best not to go too far, even if they agree?!!!

I'm only criticising my own government!

I am so so sorry for what you are going through with your son. 💐🙏🏻

If the Doctors just did the contracted hours and no voluntary overtime it would have more of an impact then a strike. Yes they are well paid compared to some jobs but I for one would not want to make life or death decisions every day.

I realise that Aveline, and you are perfectly entitled to do so. I couldn't possibly comment!!! 😊

My relative had a motorbike accident resulting in a shattered kneecap, during one of these junior doctors strikes.
Surgery was urgent but not life threatening so they laid in a hospital bed for 10 days, yes 10 days in agony on morphine blocking a bed. Surgeons were only doing life or death operations.
These junior doctors should be dismissed and replaced with other medical students looking for places. There are many that didn't get a place. Doctors strikes should be limited to 48hours in any month due to patients suffering from lack of care. They are disgusting

My DD is a senior nurse in a busy hospital and agrees with the junior doctors striking . They work extremely long hours in a very stressful job . DD works closely with them and sees what the job entails . She earns pretty much the same as some of them and although she is responsible she isn’t as responsible as the medics .
Also the doctor strike hasn’t made much difference to A/E as the shifts have been covered by the consultants so most patients are seen by someone more senior than they would normally be .

Doctors, Junior or otherwise, are aware of the hours and the pay when they start the job. Starting pay £38k rising to £74k, plus overtime, plus enhanced pay for night shifts.

I think striking for more pay when nurses are on a pittance is selfish and obviously puts peoples lives at risk. Afterall, they studied for years to do a job that helps and cures people, not hold them hostage for more pay.

I don't think anyone in the country has any support for them after the last increase they got…They're trying it on now encouraged by the BMA…

Junior doctor is very misleading indeed. My daughter has done 12 post qualification and still not a consultant. She has had numerous difficult exams to pass, each costing nearly £1k and a 38% pass rate in the last one. They are treated so badly, it is NOT just about pay. The hours are long and not all
Overtime is paid. She can sue an all night on a 13 hour Night Shift in theatres operating, , without so much as a tea or coffee break. I don’t think you would want an airline pilot flying your plane with no pleasing or fluid intake, yet that is common place in hospital. She has no locker to keep her clothes when she goes into theatre and often has to resort putting her clothes on the floor with her valuables in the changing room.
In some departments overnight where work dictates they are not able to leave to go to the canteen, there are no facilities to even have a hot meal on the ward or unit that they are on.
Her pay increase has been very minor considering the seniority and expectations of her job and absolutely not all overtime is paid. If there is an emergency and she has to stay on for five or six hours after her shift that is unpaid. I don’t think you would find that in many other jobs.
Training places have been greatly reduced and ward teaching is not available like it was a few years ago. She has a young family and comes home after a busy 12 hour day to then spend many hours in front of the computer, all work and learning related.
There is always another side to the story, but the press of course only want to make out that it is pay related. No doctor went into
The profession to become rich, these is because they genuinely want to care and help. But the pay and conditions do certainly not match the amount of time effort and strain these people are under.

They know the pay scale, the student loans, the exam fees involved when they apply to university for a medical degree. Medical students have to be v good at maths.
If they don't want the pay and the debts don't become a doctor. And sack this shower who are on strike

They aren't the only ones coming out of university owing thousands!

Attitudes have changed, haven't they. For most of my life it was taken for granted that those who became doctors had chosen to be so, because they had a dedication to and/or vocation/ deite to become a doctor. Hence they would be reluctant to strike, knowing how detrimental that could be to patients.

Now, there are a lot of families who encourage their offspring to become doctors, knowing that they will earn, not only prestige, but a good and reliable salary.

OOPS Not deite - Desire!

I have great sympathy for the Drs just starting out on their career paths. Many are without jobs having trained for 5 years. Those who do get a job are sent to wherever without regard to their living circumstances. Having children or a partner is not taken into account. Then, after 2 years of being an F1 and F2, your contract ends and you can end up unemployed again! Oh, and in the middle of a pandemic, you have to carry on regardless of how crappily you were treated. This is just no way to treat hard working, professionals.
I think the Government have been completely short sighted withdrawing what was on the table if the strike took place. Either we need more training places or we don't. If we need them, they should be on the table, if we don't, they shouldn't have been offered.
Hospitals and Surgeries are crying out for staff because of the drain of Doctors to better working conditions in other countries. A friend of mine couldn't get into an English training school so went abroad to do the training. It cost him much less than Dr's here and now he has qualified, he is gets a much better salary where he is. He was going to come back to England after finishing his training but having looked at the working conditions, he decided to stay put.
Quite frankly, it is a disgrace.

I so sorry you had this issue.

But JD now have a very good salary with quite a good bump up the chain. What people don't realise is its not just the JD getting a salary increase its everybody in the NHS on the same band will also get it!

We can't afford another rise and yes they do have debts, but when applying for jobs they often get a "sweetener" in some roles and areas.

I am all for the NHS a decent salary but its coming from our pocket.

Enough is enough now with the strikes I have no sympathy left for them and the strain they are putting on work colleagues, health and safety out the window for them.

Sorry it was meant to read’ they don’t enter the profession to become rich’ (and they really do know that) but I think they do expect some respect of their skills, knowledge and experience.

There are no ‘sweeteners’ for those starting out, Wendy28 and certainly none for those at the end of their 2 year residencies. You don’t need to sweeten appointments when there aren’t enough jobs to go round.

Oh here we go again. Another big it up for Scotland. We treat our people and Doctors better than the English

If so. Why are still part of the UK?
Why do nearly 800,000 Scots live in
England ?

Because the canny Scots know which side their bread is buttered by.

Your last referendum on Independence did not go very well did it?

Get a life..