'Not a fair wage for this work': Junior doctors take part in strike action at Scarborough Hospital

Junior doctors across the country are taking part in four days of industrial action over pay in a dispute that has caused considerable disruption to appointments and services.

The strike, from April 11 to April 15 includes staff at the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which has said that it will be “re-arranging any postponed appointments as a priority”.

The British Medical Association (BMA), the trade union for doctors, is calling for “full pay restoration to reverse the steep decline in pay faced by junior doctors since 2008/9” but the Government has said that there will be no negotiations unless the BMA abandons its demand for a 35 per cent increase in pay.

At the picket outside Scarborough Hospital on Tuesday April 11, Dr Sonya Bushell said: “As a first-year doctor I was the first person on call, covering twelve wards overnight, diagnosing and treating medical emergencies and providing end-of-life care.”

She said: “£14 an hour is not a fair wage for this work. Junior doctors have seen their pay cut by 35 per cent since 2008 in real terms.

“This isn't fair when junior doctors have to move around the country for more than 10 years of specialised training after medical school, fund exams and GMC fees, pay expensive childcare for out-of-hours shifts, and repay student loans.”

However, independent UK fact checking organisation Full Fact has disputed the BMA’s £14 an hour campaign.

It said the average junior doctor gets paid much more than £14 an hour, depending on whether extra earnings and time off for holidays are included, it can range between £20 and £30 per hour.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: “Locally, our junior doctors make up 49 per cent of our medical workforce and as such the strike action will have a significant impact.

"This is four days of strikes coming immediately after a four-day bank holiday weekend. The days leading into and immediately after bank holiday weekends are already challenging for the NHS, and these strikes also come at a time when high levels of staff are on annual leave due to school Easter holidays."

Speaking to The Scarborough News, the spokesperson added: “It is even more important people choose services wisely over this period so that care is available to patients who need it most.

“This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and continuing to only use 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.

“GP practices will continue to be open during the junior doctors’ strike and pharmacists can also help and are experts in medicines for minor health concerns.”

In recent years the York and Scarborough Trust has faced issues with the recruitment and retention of staff and recently announced that it was set to hire more than 100 nursing staff from India.

Dr Bushell said: “More and more doctors are moving abroad or leaving medicine altogether, leaving more rota gaps and longer waiting lists.

“The government cannot afford to ignore us, we need a pay deal now.

“We have invited the Government for talks on multiple occasions and we are waiting for Steve Barclay, the health secretary, to listen to us.”

She added: “We thank the public for their support.”