West junior doctors say changes will be painful for patients

Junior doctors from across the West have cast their vote, which will decide if the medics will go on strike over proposed changes to their contracts by the Government.

Current contracts:

Junior doctors receive overtime pay when they work outside of sociable hours. Those are deemed to be from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday.

New proposed contracts:

This new contract plans to extend this time from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday.

The medics say they'll have to work longer and at weekends to receive extra pay.

But junior doctors say the new contract is open to abuse and they'll still be worse off.

Dr Sonja Payne is a Specialty Trainee in Anesthesia at an acute general hospital in the West. She's been a junior doctor for 11 years, but even when she's finished her shift, there is always studying to do.

Like many junior doctors Sonja's patience has run out over the Government's proposed changes to a contact, which she says it's broken.

Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, says any industrial action put vulnerable patients at risk:

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