Thousands of NHS appointments cancelled as junior doctors launch 72-hour strike
The latest 72 hour strike by junior doctors has begun, ITV News Health & Science Correspondent Martin Stew reports from a hospital where nurses and consultants are struggling to keep up with patient demand
Junior doctors mounted picket lines again on Wednesday after launching a three-day strike over pay amid warnings of an exodus of staff because of "unbearable" working conditions in the NHS.
The 72-hour walkout by medics - who can have up to eight years of experience as a hospital doctor or three years in general practice - began at 7am on Wednesday and will end at 7am on Saturday.
The walkout comes as NHS chiefs warned the number of people seeking emergency help will rise as the hot weather continues across the UK.
The strike is the second this year by junior doctors and was expected to cause mass disruption, with thousands of patients having their operations and appointments rescheduled while the overall NHS waiting list continues to grow.
There have also been concerns about staffing, with some consultants saying they would not provide strike cover unless their employers agreed to a higher overtime rate.
The British Medical Association (BMA) is calling for "full restoration" of pay, which it says has seen a 26% cut, and says the government has offered only 5% to end the dispute.
Reporting from the Royal Berkshire Hospital, ITV News health and science correspondent Martin Stew explains the impact of strike action taken by junior doctors
Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairmen of the BMA Junior Doctors' Committee, said in a statement: "Junior doctors are in despair at this government's refusal to listen.
"It should never have taken two whole rounds of strike action to even put a number on the table, and for that number to be a 5% pay offer - in a year of double-digit inflation, itself another pay cut - beggars belief.
"We have made clear that junior doctors are looking for the full restoration of our pay, which has seen a 26% cut."
A BMA poll of 1,935 junior doctors in England, published on Wednesday, found 53% are making plans to leave the NHS or are thinking about leaving as a result of the government's response to industrial action.
'People are tired'
Daniel Zahedi is a junior doctor working at the Cambridge University Hospitals trust, and is also the co-chair of junior doctor's committee in the east of England.
He said: "I think people are tired, people are fatigued - they want this to be over.
"No one wants to be here - no one wants to strike. We want to come to a reasonable resolution and come to it quickly.
"People are losing pay going out on strike - and to be offered a 5% deal when inflation is over double that is, frankly, a slap in the face.
"We want to government to take this seriously so we can put a vote to our members."
Meanwhile speaking on the picket line outside the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, Dr Farrell said: "The way that the hospital is staffed just now, is how it is staffed on bank holidays, so we are not putting patients at risk, but the idea is that we are making people aware about how important we are.
"Hopefully our consultant colleagues will join us shortly and then everybody will see just how important all of your doctors are."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...
Some 67% do not think the NHS in its current form will exist in ten years and 88% expect the NHS to get worse over the next 18 months.
BMA council chairman, Professor Philip Banfield, has written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to intervene to resolve the dispute.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said it was "extremely disappointing" the BMA was going ahead with further strike action.
The health secretary said the government needs to 'balance the demands of the NHS with getting inflation down and growing the economy'
Mr Barclay said: "We hugely value the work that junior doctors do, and we recognise there has been massive pressure on junior doctors through the pandemic - which is why we sat down with them for three weeks.
"We moved in terms of the government's position, in line with the offer that was accepted by the NHS staff council and by trade unions representing a number of other health workers, but unfortunately the junior doctors have refused to move from their demand for 35%.
"I think for many of your viewers, that is out of step with what they themselves are receiving.
"We need to balance the demands of the NHS with getting inflation down and growing the economy."
Mr Barclay said junior doctors had been made an offer in line with paramedics, midwives, and nurses.
He said: "This 72-hour walkout will put patient safety and our efforts to cut waiting lists at risk."
He added: "If the BMA cancels these damaging and disruptive strikes and shows willingness to move significantly from their position, we can resume confidential talks and find a way forward, as we have done with other unions."
Rallies will be held throughout the rest of the week, including in Oxford, Birmingham, London and Manchester.
Earlier this week, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, said almost all routine or pre-planned care could be impacted in some way by the latest strike.
He said: “While thousands of appointments are likely to be rescheduled due to strike action, the NHS will continue to prioritise urgent and emergency care, but with the country in the midst of a heatwave, the public can play their part by being sensible in the warm weather.
“For the vulnerable and elderly, this includes drinking plenty of water, using sunscreen and avoiding prolonged periods in the sun or swimming in unsafe water.
“People with conditions such as asthma should continue to use their inhalers.”
A similar walkout by junior doctors in April saw 196,000 hospital appointments and pre-planned operations rescheduled.
From June 19, the BMA will be re-balloting junior doctors to extend its mandate on industrial action and said it could go on until March 2024 or beyond.
In Scotland, junior doctors plan to strike next month unless an improved pay offer is made, after the latest was rejected.
The Scottish Government offered a 14.5% pay increase over two years but BMA Scotland said it was rejected by 71.1% of those who voted on a 66.3% turnout.
The union is planning three days of strike action from July 12-15.
The Partygate: The Inside Story podcast brings you fresh revelations and our whistleblowers in their own words in the definitive behind-closed-doors story of how ITV News uncovered one of the biggest scandals of our era