NHS strikes: Overworked junior doctors being pushed closer to moving abroad
A Hereford junior doctor has spoken out, saying he and his colleagues are frustrated at the situation currently facing the NHS
A junior doctor working at Hereford County Hospital has said he is thinking of leaving the UK because pay is better overseas.
As junior doctors started a five-day strike – the longest in NHS history – yesterday, Rishi Sunak challenged union leaders to call off action after offering public sector workers pay rises of up to seven per cent.
The Prime Minister accepted the recommendations from pay review bodies, including 6.5 per cent increases for teachers in England for 2023-24, which the education unions said would allow them to end their dispute with ministers.
Junior doctors will receive six per cent rises, along with an additional consolidated £1,250 increase and hospital consultants, set to strike in England next week, will receive a six per cent rise.
At a Downing Street press conference Mr Sunak called on the British Medical Association (BMA) to help "make the NHS strong again" and avoid further disruption.
Alex Pavlimbey, a striking doctor in Hereford, said he and his colleagues were frustrated at being overworked but also underpaid.
He said the strike would mean some operations and treatment would be cancelled, but emergency care would still be there for those who really need it.
“It is the unfortunate consequence of the industrial action, which we do regret,” he said.
“The reason that we join the profession is that we want to help people, but we can see that we're not able to help people as best as we can.
“We're seeing doctors leave, so we need to get around the table with the government.”
He added: “I've done eight years of medical school and foundation training.
“We've given a lot of time and dedication towards this.
“We're getting pushed closer and closer to that deciding factor of whether or not we continue in this country or we offer our services somewhere else.”
Dr Christine Blanshard, the chief medical officer and deputy chief executive at the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the accident and emergency departments in Worcester and Redditch, said she would be trying to keep patients safe.
“We will be providing emergency services for patients with life and limb threatening injuries and serious medical illnesses, but we are unable to provide services for patients who don't really need to be them,” she said.
“It is possible that if you have got an illness or an injury that is not a serious accident or an emergency, you may be asked to attend another service or come back on a different day.”
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the 35 per cent pay rise junior doctors were asking for was not reasonable and risked fuelling inflation.