The NHS in London has urged patients to continue coming forward for care during the doctors’ strike, which began this morning.
Around 50,000 resident doctors were expected to walk out from 7am today until next Wednesday, July 30.
Resident doctors, who used to be referred to as junior doctors, make up about half of all doctors in the NHS. They can have up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.
The strike action is the latest in a long-running dispute between the doctors’ union, the British Medical Association, and the NHS over “pay restoration”.
The BMA says that junior/resident doctors’ pay has fallen in real terms by a far greater amount in real terms since 2008 than other workers, and they are demanding a 29% pay rise to make good that difference.
The doctors recently received a 22% pay rise to cover 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.
The BMA has taken out national newspaper advertisements saying it wants to “lay bare the significant pay difference between a resident doctor and their non-medically qualified assistants”.
Pay restoration: the BMA says that doctors’ pay has been hit harder than many other sectors over the past 15 years
Across London, hospitals and local NHS teams have been preparing ahead of this latest round of strikes they say they “have plans in place to minimise disruption to patient care and ensure life-saving care continues”.
NHS England has asked hospital chief executives to keep routine operations going to the fullest extent possible and only to reschedule appointments and other activity in exceptional circumstances.
Patients are asked to attend any planned appointments they have over the strike period, unless they have been contacted to reschedule.
Primary, urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available for those who need them. The public should use 111 online as the first port of call for urgent but not life-threatening issues during industrial action, so that they can be directed to the best place for their needs.
Patients who need emergency medical care should continue to use 999 or come forward to A&E as normal.
Dr Chris Streather, the chief medical director for the NHS in London, said: “It is disappointing that resident doctors are striking, and this industrial action will no doubt take a toll on patients and NHS staff in London, and across the country.
“We are doing all we can to limit the cancellation of appointments and patients should continue to use NHS services in the usual way.
“Londoners should attend their appointments unless told otherwise.”
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