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Junior doctor resigns live on TV in protest at Jeremy Hunt's new contract | Junior doctor resigns live on TV in protest at Jeremy Hunt's new contract |
(about 3 hours later) | |
A junior doctor announced his intention to resign from the profession live on TV out of frustration over the new contract. | |
Trainee doctor Ben White announced on ITV’s Good Morning Britain that he would be resigning in order to focus on a legal campaign against the contract which he felt had himself and his colleagues “backed into a corner”. | |
He said: "I have taken the decision that I am resigning as a trainee doctor to focus on a legal campaign to fight the contract on behalf of my patients and on behalf of the NHS." | He said: "I have taken the decision that I am resigning as a trainee doctor to focus on a legal campaign to fight the contract on behalf of my patients and on behalf of the NHS." |
When asked why he had chosen to resign, Dr White said: “I really feel like we’ve been backed into a corner and there’s not a lot of sense coming out of the Government’s side of things. | |
"We have to put patients first and we can see at the moment the understaffing and the underfunding in the NHS." | "We have to put patients first and we can see at the moment the understaffing and the underfunding in the NHS." |
Junior doctors are set to begin an all-out strike from 8am on Tuesday which will continue through Wednesday. | |
The strike has already resulted in the cancellation of 125,000 operations and appointments. | |
Dr White assured patients that they can still receive emergency care during the two-day planned strike if they go to a hospital, as consultants would be available to treat them. | |
On Sunday, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt refused to trial an alternative contract in exchange for cancelling the strike. | |
Mr Hunt dismissed a letter from the shadow Health Secretary, Heidi Alexander, urging him to agree to trial the new junior doctors' contract rather than impose it across the NHS unilaterally. | |
The letter, which was also signed by two former heath ministers – including a Conservative - also said there should be an independent evaluation of the so-called "weekend effect" which sees higher mortality rates for patients admitted at weekends. | The letter, which was also signed by two former heath ministers – including a Conservative - also said there should be an independent evaluation of the so-called "weekend effect" which sees higher mortality rates for patients admitted at weekends. |
A BMA source said they supported the initiative and that if the Government agreed to limited trials of a pilot of the contract, representatives would be prepared to meet them to discuss the possibility of calling off the strike on Tuesday and Wednesday. | A BMA source said they supported the initiative and that if the Government agreed to limited trials of a pilot of the contract, representatives would be prepared to meet them to discuss the possibility of calling off the strike on Tuesday and Wednesday. |
The walkout would see all junior doctors, including Accident & Emergency staff, walk out – the first time such action has been taken in NHS history by doctors. | The walkout would see all junior doctors, including Accident & Emergency staff, walk out – the first time such action has been taken in NHS history by doctors. |
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