Forum Topic

Doctors To Strike Again 

After being awarded an inflation busting 22.3% pay increase last year It didn't take them long to begin their excessive pay demands again did it?   Labour's hasty capitulation to the public sector workers was obviously going to return and bite them on the bum, so how long will it be before the nurses, teachers, train drivers etc join them? "A five-day doctors' strike due to start in England on Friday by members of the British Medical Association will go ahead, the union says.Five days of talks between the government and the BMA had raised hopes of a breakthrough, focused on improving working conditions for resident doctors, the new name for junior doctors.Health Secretary Wes Streeting wrote to the BMA earlier on Tuesday saying he would continue talks if strike action was postponed.But the BMA said what was up for discussion was not enough and achieving better pay remained the key issue."

Sue Hammond ● 21d10 Comments

Mr Hawkes,the problem that is not being addressed is that wages in the UK have fallen behind many countries. But not just wages pensions too!Unfortunately the government is having to play wage catch up due to previous failures by all the main parties in government. Oddly enough many MP that failed the previous government are still there!This is at a time when NI has increased with no real benefit to those paying it.WTF am I paying NI and employer NI when I'm unlikely to ever see a state pension as the age shifts up?We need an honest debate about wages, tax including (NI) and pensions but we are not seeing it!The country is broke and riddled with corruption at every level.It's worse than the 70's because the country has sold all its assets and and is not only in debt but is probably the second highest holder of US debt.We need a PM that can state the current situation rather than distractions abroad. It's not going to happen.Look upon the UK as a terminally ill patient, we are currently going through the denial stage!

Ed Robinson ● 21d

We need more doctors doing less hours IMO.From what I recall (although my memory can be a bit flakey it appears) we have a very high ratio of patients to doctors in the UK compared with Europe.Also the physician or Doctor's assistant role if I have the correct term does not seems to add confusion and not just when it comes to salaries.Now the strike is by resident doctors from what I understand. But with 1,000 or so medical graduates without a job something is not right.Employers NI would have hit the NHS just like many people dependent industries hard.I can't see how we are going to move to more doctors doing less hours with the current employment tax.It seems crazy that we are relying on resident doctors doing crazy hours in 2025!A quick google and the salaries are all over the place:"The average doctor assistant gross salary in London, United Kingdom is £86,427 or an equivalent hourly rate of £42.""The average salary for a Doctors Assistant is £29669 per year in United Kingdom.""Physician associate starter £47,000 Experienced £55,000"https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/physician-associate

Ed Robinson ● 21d

Hello Robert,You and I are starting from very different basis.  While you have better "insider" information than I do, I am alive today after a life-threatening illness thanks to the doctors and most of them were not consultants.  I cannot put a price to that.

Ivonne Holliday ● 21d

Ms HollidayI am sure we all have reason to be thankful to the treatment we have received from the NHS.But calculating the pay scales for someone in a tax funded non-competitive and monopolistic industry such as medicine or teaching is very difficult.The only indicator for pay being a problem is if the NHS is rapidly losing key staff.Is that the case ?And a 22.3% increase is not buttons.'Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, are qualified doctors in their first years of training. A fifth are completing their first two foundation years, while the remainder are in core or speciality registrar training.The newly agreed salary for those on foundation training is between £38,831 and £44,439, with specialist training salaries rising to £73,992. That includes the 5.4 per cent increase awarded earlier this year, but does not include London weighting'.They also have a very generous pension plan that far exceeds anything in the private sector.And consultant pay does not seem meagre."Consultants on the 2003 contract"Threshhold          Value £1 (starting salary) 105,5042a (after 3 years completed as consultant) 111,7142b (after 4 years completed) 114,8943 (after 8 years completed) 126,0184 (after 14 years completed) 139,882Source the BMA.Please publish anything you have read that was not written by a striking doctor which will prove they are only earning £17.12 per hour, the same as a cleaning lady.

John Hawkes ● 21d

As an aside public sector pension are far more beneficial than private sector which is why many medics if they can try and keep feet in both sectors eg public and private.

Robert Wheeler ● 21d

Of course operations done robotically need to be overseen by qualified medics but all of this eases the strain on professionals.  Many whilst still at Uni start their medical training and because of the higher salaries at Consultant level it creates a bottle neck to progression lower down the medical route.  This in essence is what the junior doctors are railing against.  Remember the BMA set the number of years a doctor has to study as well, so after getting a degree they then have to go onto yet more training programmes for years.Junior doctors can see the gold at the end of the rainbow eg private\NHS fees but are frustrated in the delay in getting there.  Added to which they are working in an environment where the NHS is a dinosaur eg huge body but tiny brain.In a comparison how many professionals eg architects, engineers, teachers are guaranteed an income in excess of £150k min. ten years after qualifying.  Yes they work unbelievably hard, yes they are incredibly intelligent but all of them have taken an oath to do no harm.  Going on this strike in my opinion will.As an aside when l am poorly the most l am told by one family specialist is to take paracetamol and the other to put a plaster on it.  So much for family benefits!

Robert Wheeler ● 21d

Hello Robert,You have better "insider" information than I do.  But what I do know is that after 5 years at university they become interns, then junior doctors or resident doctors as they are called now.  From graduating from university, the face some 10 years or so years training, it is a very long time before they become specialists and/or consultants.I do not begrudge doctors having good pensions when they retire.  My goodness, the responsibilities that they have had are difficult to equate with other professions.  I do not know what the medical private sector pensions are but, on the whole, the private sector have amazing perks!!  As for operations done robotically, I thought surgeons were overseeing these and not the robots being left alone to do them.

Ivonne Holliday ● 21d

Having many family medics l totally disagree Ivonne.  The BMA are outrageous on this point.  Many senior and eminent professionals have now left the BMA.  The main problem is the length of training for doctors.  No other profession has this ongoing “training program” that can take a decade to progress and every time any Government wants to revise it the BMA shut it down.You are forgetting brilliant pension provisions not available in the private sector, flexible working and the potential to eventually earn well over £200k if they make Consultant.  Not bad in my book.With many ops now being done robotically the BMA must stop being so radical if it wants to survive.

Robert Wheeler ● 21d

I think that is basic pay for the lowest grade on a 40 hour week. They get overtime,  standby a day other allowancesIn addition there is the generous pension allowance.Whilst it would be nice to pay more it doesn't look as though they are as badly paid as they would have us believe.

Andy Pike ● 21d

Hello Sue,Yes, the doctor's strike is very depressing!As for the award given to them last year of 22.3% seems enormous.  But it all depends on the figures you start with.  Last year they were saying they were paid £14 an hour. So, 22.3% takes them to £17.12 per hour.  I do not think that £17.12 per hour for a junior doctor is an enormous amount, do you?  I think cleaning ladies get about that amount an hour.  The main difference is that junior doctors train for about 6 years at university an have an gigantic responsibility.  Do you think that equates to the qualifications and responsibilities of a cleaning lady?

Ivonne Holliday ● 21d