'We are giving sub-standard care': NHS junior doctor speaks out during strike
A junior doctor working in the NHS says staff shortages are leading to "sub-standard care" being given to patients.
Dr Stephen Farrell, who works at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, was among thousands of junior doctors who started their latest 72-hour walkout today over pay and conditions.
Thousands of appointments and operations are expected to have been cancelled as a result.
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.
"It is because we want to provide better care, it is why we want the pay restoration, it's why we want better staff retention, it's why we want better conditions, because we want better patient care.
"So as much as some people will argue we are putting patients at risk, we are not, the hospital is adequately staffed it is just adequately staffed as it would be on a bank holiday and if you don't think that's enough, maybe you should be getting more doctors."
There are more than 11,000 extra doctors working across the NHS than there were in 2010.
'Pay has been eroded'
"We've been here a while now, what we are after is pay restoration, full pay restoration to what we had the equivocal of 10/20 years ago," continued Dr Farrell.
"Because obviously the pay has been eroded consistently by the government.
"The main reason we want the pay restoration is to make the conditions better, to keep staff retention and to encourage an improvement in investment in the NHS."
The British Medical Association (BMA) is calling for "full restoration" of junior doctors' pay, which it says has been cut by 26%. The Government has offered 5% to end the dispute.
'You are giving sub-standard care'
"If you speak to any doctor they've got handfuls of stories of covering numerous wards that they shouldn't have been covering," continued Dr Farrell.
"Days where there are so many sick patients and you are running around putting out fires and you're not giving anybody the care that you want to give.
"Realistically, no one comes into medicine to make a lot of money, that doesn't make any sense, because if you are doing medicine to make a lot of money it is too much work.
"You could make a lot more money doing a lot less strenuous work, no night shifts and stuff like that, any other way, so it doesn't make any sense to come into medicine to make money.
"You do it because you care, because you want to help people. The disappointing thing is that because of staff shortages, because of overcrowded hospitals, you don't provide the care you want to provide.
"You know that you are giving sub-standard care, but all you can do is be as safe as you can."
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said it was "extremely disappointing" that the BMA was going ahead with further strike action and warned it could put patient safety at risk.
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