By Harry Mottram: Medics are taking industrial action in their campaign for increased wages and better working conditions with strike action amongst Junior Doctors at the RUH and elsewhere in the region starting today. The action will continue to Tuesday 18 July at 7am when they will return to work.
Representing Junior Doctors is the The British Medical Association (BMA) union, who said that pay rises they’ve received for the last 15 years have been below inflation, and a 35% pay increase is required to catch up.
However Health Secretary Steve Barclay for the Government has offered 5% which has been rejected as the Rishi Sunak administration has prioritised cutting inflation which has been in double digits in the belief that pay rises need to stay within a lower limit. It means the two sides are far apart and a compromise is unlikely to happen soon.
The BMA represents more than 46,000 junior doctors in the UK which make up about half of doctors in hospitals and GP surgeries and other medical facilities.
Below is information from the RUH:
Strike Action
7am Thursday 13 July until 7am Tuesday 18 July
Last update: 7 July 2023
From 7am Thursday 13 July until 7am Tuesday 18 July, junior doctors will be taking strike action at a number of NHS trusts, including the RUH. The industrial action is a national dispute between the Government and unions.
Patient safety is our top priority, and we are committed to keeping disruption caused by industrial action to a minimum.
Junior doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and foundation training, and have anywhere up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty.
Appointments
If you have an appointment or procedure booked, please attend unless you hear from us. You do not need to call to check if your appointment is going ahead. We will be in touch with patients directly if we need to rearrange an appointment.
Our emergency department (ED)
Our emergency department remains open 24 hours a day, if you have a life-threatening emergency. Please be aware that, like others across the NHS, our Emergency Department is really busy.
- If you have a minor illness or minor injury, local GP surgeries and pharmacies are open.
- If you have an urgent medical problem that is not an emergency and aren’t sure what to do, contact 111 first online or by phone – they will provide immediate medical advice and direct you to the best care for your needs.
- In emergencies, please call 999.
Visiting
We continue to welcome family members and loved ones to visit patients. There are no changes to our visiting arrangements during industrial action so please continue to follow the visiting hours provided by the ward team.