This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/25/junior-doctors-all-out-strike-qa-nhs-contract-emergency
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Junior doctors to go on all-out strike – Q&A | Junior doctors to go on all-out strike – Q&A |
| (4 months later) | |
| Who is striking this week and why?An unknown number of the 45,000 junior doctors in England will strike between 8am and 5pm on Tuesday and the same time on Wednesday. This is a significant escalation of the increasingly bitter dispute that has been going since September between Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, and the British Medical Association, the doctors’ union. | Who is striking this week and why?An unknown number of the 45,000 junior doctors in England will strike between 8am and 5pm on Tuesday and the same time on Wednesday. This is a significant escalation of the increasingly bitter dispute that has been going since September between Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, and the British Medical Association, the doctors’ union. |
| The flashpoint is the new contract that Hunt intends to impose on junior doctors – all those below the level of consultant – starting this August. On-and-off talks over the past three years have failed to produce final agreement on the revised terms and conditions the health secretary wants trainee doctors to work under as a key element of introducing the “truly seven-day NHS” the Conservatives promised during last year’s general election. | The flashpoint is the new contract that Hunt intends to impose on junior doctors – all those below the level of consultant – starting this August. On-and-off talks over the past three years have failed to produce final agreement on the revised terms and conditions the health secretary wants trainee doctors to work under as a key element of introducing the “truly seven-day NHS” the Conservatives promised during last year’s general election. |
| Several issues had still to be agreed when talks broke down in February, especially how much of Saturday should become part of a junior doctor’s normal working week and the pay rates for that. | Several issues had still to be agreed when talks broke down in February, especially how much of Saturday should become part of a junior doctor’s normal working week and the pay rates for that. |
| How are these strikes different to the previous four?This week’s action will be the first time in the NHS’s 68-year history that junior doctors have refused to work in any area of medical care at all. | How are these strikes different to the previous four?This week’s action will be the first time in the NHS’s 68-year history that junior doctors have refused to work in any area of medical care at all. |
| They have already staged four strikes since January in protest against the contract. But each time they continued to provide cover in settings that provide life or death care, such as A&E, intensive care, maternity services, acute medicine and emergency surgery. This time they won’t. | They have already staged four strikes since January in protest against the contract. But each time they continued to provide cover in settings that provide life or death care, such as A&E, intensive care, maternity services, acute medicine and emergency surgery. This time they won’t. |
| How did it get to this? Haven’t there been lots of efforts to settle this?Yes. There were talks involving the BMA, NHS Employers and the Department of Health from the start of December until early February. Some of those discussions were brokered by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). Both sides agree that progress was made during those talks. | How did it get to this? Haven’t there been lots of efforts to settle this?Yes. There were talks involving the BMA, NHS Employers and the Department of Health from the start of December until early February. Some of those discussions were brokered by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). Both sides agree that progress was made during those talks. |
| Further progress was made in January when Hunt drafted in Sir David Dalton, the chief executive of Salford Royal NHS foundation trust, as the government’s new chief negotiator. But efforts to find a solution ultimately failed. Hunt blamed the BMA for reneging on a promise to talk about Saturday working. The BMA insists that there were other issues still to be resolved beyond that one. | Further progress was made in January when Hunt drafted in Sir David Dalton, the chief executive of Salford Royal NHS foundation trust, as the government’s new chief negotiator. But efforts to find a solution ultimately failed. Hunt blamed the BMA for reneging on a promise to talk about Saturday working. The BMA insists that there were other issues still to be resolved beyond that one. |
| How will this week’s strikes affect hospitals and patients?A total of 12,711 non-urgent operations have been cancelled and 112,856 outpatient appointments postponed because hospitals need consultants– senior doctors – to work in A&E units and/or be available to handle emergency cases. | How will this week’s strikes affect hospitals and patients?A total of 12,711 non-urgent operations have been cancelled and 112,856 outpatient appointments postponed because hospitals need consultants– senior doctors – to work in A&E units and/or be available to handle emergency cases. |
| It looks like a very high percentage of junior doctors who are scheduled to be on duty on the strike days will join the stoppages. That will pose a serious challenge to hospitals, most of which have fewer doctors than they need. Smaller hospitals, and those which are more geographically isolated, are most likely to have trouble On strike days, emergency departments and other types of life or death care units will be staffed by consultants bar the tiny number of juniors who have decided to come into work. | It looks like a very high percentage of junior doctors who are scheduled to be on duty on the strike days will join the stoppages. That will pose a serious challenge to hospitals, most of which have fewer doctors than they need. Smaller hospitals, and those which are more geographically isolated, are most likely to have trouble On strike days, emergency departments and other types of life or death care units will be staffed by consultants bar the tiny number of juniors who have decided to come into work. |
| A number of leading doctors, including NHS England’s medical director, Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, and the chief medical officer, Prof Dame Sally Davies, have warned juniors that their withdrawal of labour could lead to patients suffering harm, and also destroy public trust in the profession. However, all 156 hospital trusts in England that provide acute medical care have assured NHS England that they have robust plans to cope and that patient safety will not be at risk. | A number of leading doctors, including NHS England’s medical director, Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, and the chief medical officer, Prof Dame Sally Davies, have warned juniors that their withdrawal of labour could lead to patients suffering harm, and also destroy public trust in the profession. However, all 156 hospital trusts in England that provide acute medical care have assured NHS England that they have robust plans to cope and that patient safety will not be at risk. |
| Is there any hope of the dispute being resolved?Not at the moment. The government shows no sign of backing down on its determination to force through the contract, starting in August. It will take 18 months before all 45,000 trainee medics are on the contract. Similarly, the BMA is refusing to discuss Saturday working. It regards that as a non-negotiable red line. | Is there any hope of the dispute being resolved?Not at the moment. The government shows no sign of backing down on its determination to force through the contract, starting in August. It will take 18 months before all 45,000 trainee medics are on the contract. Similarly, the BMA is refusing to discuss Saturday working. It regards that as a non-negotiable red line. |
| No further talks are planned and Hunt has rebuffed several efforts, one from a cross-party group of MPs and the other from leaders of medical royal colleges, to find some form of compromise that would lead to the strikes being called off. The BMA is considering holding an open-ended, indefinite all-out strike as its next tactic. | No further talks are planned and Hunt has rebuffed several efforts, one from a cross-party group of MPs and the other from leaders of medical royal colleges, to find some form of compromise that would lead to the strikes being called off. The BMA is considering holding an open-ended, indefinite all-out strike as its next tactic. |