Junior doctors in Wales begin 72-hour walkout over pay

Junior doctors in Wales are on strike for 72 hours from today in their second round of strike action this year.

According to the British Medical Association Cymru Wales, more than 3,000 doctors are set to walk out from 7am on Wednesday, February 21st until 7am February 24th.

This is the second time that junior doctors in Wales have walked out this year over a dispute with the Welsh Government about pay, with another round set to start in May.

Junior doctors in Wales have carried out the strike action over a 5% pay offer from the Welsh Government.

The junior doctors say this is ‘nowhere near enough’ to work towards pay restoration, as they have seen a real-term pay cut of 29.6% over the last 15 years.

In response, the Welsh Government has said they do not have the budget to increase the pay offer.

Dr Oba Babs-Osibodu and Dr Peter Fahey, co-chairs of BMA Cymru Wales’ Junior Doctors Committee said:

“We can call off this strike today if the Welsh Government puts forward a credible pay offer to form the basis of talks.

“No doctor wants to strike but years of undervaluing our lifesaving service have led us here. Junior doctors in Wales have experienced a pay cut of 29.6 per cent in real terms over the last 15 years.

“Junior doctors are starting their careers earning £13.65 an hour. Is that all they are worth? They are providing lifesaving care after training for years and are shouldering up to £100,000 of debt.

“It is no surprise that we are losing doctors as they search for better pay and conditions elsewhere. Losing our doctors at a time when waiting lists are at record highs will mean patients suffering more than they are already.

“We aren’t asking for a pay rise – we are asking for our pay to be restored in line with inflation back to 2008 levels when we began to receive pay cuts in real terms.

“Pay needs to be fair and competitive with other healthcare systems across the world to retain and recruit doctors to provide the care that patients in Wales deserve.”

Junior doctor strikes – What will be affected?

According to media reports, the last round of strikes which took place in January saw 61% of operations postponed, with around 41% of outpatient appointments also needing to be postponed.

During the strike action, media reports say that the NHS in Wales will be focusing on ensuring life-saving care and emergency care is maintained.

Junior doctors’ shifts will instead be covered by consultant doctors, and other medical staff where appropriate. It is likely that if you show up to A&E between Wednesday and Friday, there will be a doctor there to treat you, but, if you have a routine outpatient appointment scheduled this week, it is likely going to be cancelled.

What is a junior doctor?

Junior doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training, according to the British Medical Association.

This means a junior doctor could refer to a medical professional who has a medical degree and foundation training, with anywhere up to eight years of experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.

All junior doctors work under the supervisor of a senior doctor, but can sometimes be the most qualified doctor on a ward in a specific specialty.

Further reading

Medical misdiagnosis or delay – Oakwood Solicitors

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