Union chief urges PM to return ‘to real world’ to settle medical doctors’ pay dispute
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junior medical doctors’ union chief has urged the Prime Minister to “come back to the real world” from his Disneyland vacation to interrupt the impasse amid the newest strikes within the NHS.
Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairman of the the British Medical Association’s junior medical doctors committee, spoke as protesters rallied exterior Downing Street on Friday, whereas Rishi Sunak was considered on a household vacation in California nonetheless.
The demonstration comes as junior medical doctors from the British Medical Association (BMA) launched into a recent four-day walkout from Friday amid a bitter dispute with the Government over pay.
Mr Sunak departed for a household summer time vacation to the United States on Wednesday and stated his daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, had been “very excited” about heading to Disneyland.
Asked by the PA news company a couple of senior well being boss’s declare that junior physician strikes had value the NHS about £1 billion, Dr Laurenson stated: “What I would say is it cost the Government £1 billion to cover 15 days of strike action and back last October, when we started our trade dispute, the cost of full pay restoration is £1 billion, so now the Government is just wasting money rather than settling.
“And it doesn’t make sense, because if Rishi Sunak believes that this is fuelling inflation, does that not mean Rishi Sunak is now the leading cause of inflation?
“He’s not at home, he’s in Disneyland, Disneyworld, and to be honest he needs to come back to the real world to sort out the real issues.”
Sir Julian Hartley, chief govt of NHS Providers, stated earlier that hospital trusts had been having to “pay premium rates to consultants” to cowl the roles of junior medical doctors whereas they had been on picket traces, as a fifth spherical of commercial motion threatens additional disruption to affected person care.
Scores of placard-wielding junior medical doctors staged the rally exterior Downing Street and speeches had been delivered from a stage.
The tune Vossi Bop by Stormzy – which options the lyrics “f*** the Government and f*** Boris” – was one of many tracks performed over the audio system.
Protesters held indicators with messages together with “strike to save the NHS” and “14/hr to save your life”.
An ambulance driver beeped their horn as they drove previous to cheers from these assembled.
Asked if he felt unhealthy for in poor health or injured individuals who may not get the care they wanted in the course of the four-day strike, Dr Robert Laurenson instructed PA: “Of course, always, and that’s precisely why this strike is happening.
“Doctors are patients too, are families, are patients too. We see behind the curtain. We know how bad care is on a normal working day and we’re not going to put up with it any more. No-one is holding this Government to account, so we will.”
On the rise in cancelled appointments, he stated: “You can’t deliver care without doctors. We’ve seen it over the last 13 years with waiting lists ballooning, and it’s because the Government are cutting our pay and driving doctors away – that needs to come to a stop now.
I am concerned about the impact strikes are having on patients and that is why I call on the BMA to end their industrial action
“These strikes don’t have to happen. The Government needs to recognise all of its decisions over the last 10 years have led to this moment, they have eradicated any sense of relationship between doctors and government and they need to start building steps to build back that relationship.”
The newest spherical of strike motion from BMA junior medical doctors in England will finish at 7am on Tuesday August 15.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has claimed strike motion by medical doctors “serves only to harm patients” and places “further pressure” on their colleagues.
He instructed broadcasters on Friday: “I am concerned about the impact strikes are having on patients and that is why I call on the BMA to end their industrial action.
“Junior doctors will receive up to 10.3%, an average of 8.8%, in terms of their pay deal. We have accepted in full the recommendations of the independent pay review body, but we are also investing more widely.
“The first ever workforce long-term plan, to expand workforce training, the biggest ever investment in the NHS estate, over £20 billion of work, investing record sums in the NHS.
“We have accepted in full the recommendations of the independent pay review body process, and it is also right that we balance that with our wider commitment to bring inflation down, because that matters to NHS staff just as it does to the community.”