Junior doctors join picket line at Royal Preston Hospital as four-day strike begins

The 96-hour walkout, which began on Tuesday morning (April 11), will see operations and appointments cancelled for thousands of patients as doctors join picket lines outside their hospitals.

The strikes centre on a pay row between the British Medical Association (BMA) and Government, with the union claiming junior doctors in England have seen a 26 per cent real-terms pay cut since 2008/09 because pay rises have been below inflation.

The union has asked for a full pay restoration that the Government said would amount to a 35 per cent rise – which ministers have said is unaffordable.

Megan, one of the junior doctors on the picket line outside RPH, said: “What we’re asking for is that junior doctors’ pay be in some way restored back to what it should be in regards to how it was in 2008.

“It’s been slowly depreciating to the point where we’re getting paid 26 per cent less than we were back then, which I think roughly equates to some people getting up to a £20,000 pay cut in comparison to what they were in the past.

“We don’t want to be out here striking. We would love for things to come to the table and to have reasonable talks.”

The BMA has estimated that up to 50,000 junior doctors are out on strike

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for the NHS in England, said the strikes will cause “unparalleled” upheaval and will be the “most disruptive in NHS history”.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the timing of the industrial action is “regrettable” and accused the BMA of putting patients at “greater risk” by not agreeing any exemptions for some services, such as cancer care.

Unions and the Government were urged to “get on with” negotiations as NHS bosses warned that there is a heightened risk to patient safety during the walkouts.

It has been estimated that some 350,000 appointments and operations have been rescheduled as a result of the action as senior doctors and other medics who are not on strike have been diverted to cover services such as A&E and maternity care.

Sir Stephen told Times Radio: “This is going to be the most disruptive period of strike action that we’ve seen this winter, probably the most disruptive period of action in NHS history.

“A few weeks ago, when we had three days of strike action by junior doctors, we saw over 175,000 appointments and procedures having to be rescheduled, so my expectation is that we will see more and perhaps considerably more than that this time.

“Our focus has been on providing cover for absent junior doctors – they make up to half of the medical workforce – so consultants will be doing that along with other members of staff.

“But it does mean that we’re focusing on emergency services – and of course those staff who are covering can’t be in two places at once so that does mean disruption and cancellations and rescheduling, I’m afraid.”