Doctors in Hull walk out over pay dispute
They're on the picket line from 6am
Doctors in East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire say the government's 29% pay rise isn't enough and claim ministers have backed out of an earlier deal. From Friday, doctors will begin a five-day walkout—the thirteenth strike since March last year, with the previous action costing the NHS around three hundred million pounds.
NHS leaders say these strikes could mean fewer staff, longer waits for tests and appointments, and some patients unable to work without the treatment they need.
Hull obstetric registrar Becky Lavelle says: "Already, the government has backtracked on a promise to restore our pay to 2008 levels, but this year they've chosen to give us a real terms pay cut. We’re not working any less hard, and our patients are more complicated—all while we're living with a cost-of-living crisis."
NHS Confederation chief executive, Matthew Taylor, said: "There is no doubt that patients will bear the brunt of this disruption, with tens of thousands of tests, appointments and operations likely to be delayed or cancelled.
"NHS leaders understand how frustrating this will be for them being left waiting in pain or discomfort, not knowing when their treatment will be rescheduled.
"With flu already beginning to bite there is a real risk that these strikes will leave the NHS limping into a very difficult winter at a time when it is trying to recover performance and implement vital long-term reforms.
"But industrial action is also having a major financial impact on the NHS, with the last five-day walkout estimated to have cost a staggering £300 million.
"These costs are not included in the health service's budget, which is already very tight given the strain on public sector finances.
"This means that more strikes will blow further holes in these constrained budgets and could result in leaders having to cut staff or reduce service levels in order to balance the books."
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has refused to move on the issue of pay for resident doctors, saying they have received an almost 30% increase in pay over three years.
But the BMA argues doctors need a 26% pay uplift to restore their earnings, once inflation is taken into account.