Junior doctors say new proposals fruitless - The Bromsgrove Standard

Junior doctors say new proposals fruitless

Bromsgrove Editorial 7th Nov, 2015 Updated: 17th Oct, 2016   0

WITH Thursday’s ballot of junior doctors threatening industrial action by Christmas, Bromsgrove medic, Christopher McAloon shares his thoughts on why new proposals from Jeremy Hunt are still fruitless.

Christopher is just one of 50,000 junior doctors who voted for strike action.

He has two young children with paediatrician wife, Anne, and has worked as a junior doctor for eight years.

He said: “If these contracts are imposed, there could be a mass exodus of junior doctors.”




The General Medical Council confirms applications for certificates of current professional status so doctors can work abroad has gone up from 4,564 in 2008 to 7,727 in 2015.

Yesterday’s ballot could lead to the biggest form of industrial action by the medical profession in four decades.


In a desperate attempt to pacify unionists, Jeremy Hunt publicly declared an 11 per cent rise in pay and a limit of 72 hour to the working week.

Christopher, who specialises in cardiology and adult medicine, said: “This means it’s actually lower than when they offered 15 per cent.

“It’s not a payrise. At the same time, they want to increase the social working hours by re-grading Saturday as a normal working day.”

He added: “Pay is one of the issues, but not the main one. Our real concern is removal of legal checks, which means more anti-social hours that put patient lives at risk.

“We love our jobs, we love the NHS, it’s the best healthcare service in the world and we get a great satisfaction from helping people, it’s what we signed up for, but the lack of discussion and the fact we have to accept this imposition is simply not fair.

“The new proposals are nothing more than a load of spin and rhetoric.”

Bromsgrove MP, Sajid Javid said: “The Health Secretary’s plan means no junior doctors will be required to work more than an average of 48 hours per week, with tougher limits on unsafe hours. There will be a new maximum working week of 72 hours, down from the current maximum of 91 hours.

“The Health Secretary has also guaranteed in Parliament that no junior doctors will get a pay cut compared to their current contract.”

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