Thousands of doctors plan to walk off job again in England
The British public health system is warning that a planned four-day strike by tens of thousands of doctors could lead to the postponement of a quarter-million medical appointments
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A four-day strike planned by tens of thousands of doctors in England next week could lead to the postponement of a quarter-million medical appointments, a National Health Service official said Saturday.
Dr. Layla McCay, policy director at the NHS Confederation, said the impact is expected to be far greater than a three-day walkout last month by doctors early in their career that led to 175,000 appointments and procedures being postponed.
“The impact is going to be so significant that this one is likely to have impact on patient safety, and that is a huge concern for every health care leader,” McCay told BBC Radio 4.
The strike planned for Tuesday by so-called junior doctors would be the latest in a wave of disruptive labor actions by public sector workers demanding pay hikes to offset inflation that exceeds 10%. A cost-of-living crisis driven by sharp food and energy price increases has left people struggling to pay bills as union wages have fallen in real terms over the past decade.
Last week, passport office workers began a five-week strike and security officers at Heathrow Airport walked off the job for 10 days. Strikes by train and bus drivers, postal workers, ambulance drivers and nurses have created havoc for Britons.
Teachers who recently rejected a pay raise as unacceptable plan to stage strikes April 27 and May 2, further inconveniencing parents and pupils.
The British Medical Association said junior doctors have lost more than 26% in pay in real terms over the past 15 years. The union said the strikes could be avoided if the government makes a reasonable offer.
The Department of Health and Social Care has insisted that strikes be called off before negotiations can take place.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.