Resident Doctors

[Spartacus]

Beglfire I start, I have a lot of respect for Doctors and owe my life to them after various mishaps over the years. 

I am however getting a jaded view of them continuing to run the strike ballot next week in the middle of what is turning into a bad winter for the NHS. Of course they may vote to not strike, but personally feel it is irresponsible timing to consider it as hospitals are already struggling. 

Today the BMA warned of scaremongering over the current flu outbreak (BBC News - BMA warns of flu 'scaremongering' ahead of doctor strikes - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y22yzl6y6o) but just seeing how many people I know are going down with it, that feels like poor spin by the BMA.

How do others feel ? 

 

[HeadNun]

Half my family are medics, going back generations, and none of them would ever have gone, or would now go, on strike.

I know times have changed, but my family knew what they were signing up for, and accepted the detriment to their families and the hours (which, in the junior years, were way longer when they are now)... because it was not only a vocation, but a stable career for life. And they felt a genuine duty of care to their patients, whom they often put before their own children. 

I can only conclude that entry-level junior doctors are more entitled these days. Plus, it's insensitive to nurses, who really do deserve a lot more money and recognition. 

There are issues other than pay, like the lack of available posts, and having to move around the country, but they can be improved without a strike. 

I don't think the right people are being recruited into the profession anymore. We're all on lower wages and paying more tax than we were ten years ago, but many of us just have to suck it up, work our socks off and get on with it. 

 

[ctovey]

Police Officers aren't permitted to strike, so why are all the other emergency services allowed to?

[ianr]

This week's edition of The Briefing Room I found really useful and impressively informative on the training aspect.  David Aaronovitch has come a long way since his University Challenge day. 😉  It's available to hear online or download as mp3.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002n7wv

In a few days time resident doctors -who used to be known as junior doctors - were meant to be going on strike. This would be the 14th strike by the doctors’ union since March 2023. The ostensible reason was pay but now the dispute may be over without more increases to salary levels. The Government has instead made an offer to do something about the other big issue for early career doctors - working conditions and specialist training places. David Aaronovitch and guests discuss what's going on and ask what the problem is with the way we in Britain train our doctors?

Guests:
Hugh Pym, BBC Health Editor
Sir Andrew Goddard, Consultant Gastroenterologist
Professor Martin McKee, Professor of European Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Mark Dayan, Policy Analyst, Nuffield Trust.

Presenter: David Aaronovitch
Producers: Caroline Bayley, Kirsteen Knight, Cordelia Hemming
Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele
Sound Engineers: Michael Regaard, Gareth Jones
Editor: Richard Vadon

 

Edited December 15, 2025 by ianr

[Spartacus]

I personally, just lost respect as this is not the time to.disrupt hospitals and put additional strain on stretched resources. 

BBC News - Doctors vote to go ahead with this week's five-day strike
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c246dnyjylqo

[HeadNun]

Not fair on the patients or the consultants, either. 

My brother's an ED consultant and he is on his knees - they all have the flu but have to work through it, because it's so busy at this time of year. Adding the strike to this just makes everything feel even more impossible and he's pretty low right now.