Junior doctors’ strikes: Peterborough’s NHS staff say ‘pay doesn’t represent our value in the system’

Peterborough’s junior doctors started a three-day strike over pay and conditions on Monday (March 13).

It was the start of a 72-hour national walkout by junior doctors, who represent more than 40% of the UK’s medical workforce.

It comes as the British Medical Association (BMA) said junior doctors could “make more serving coffee than saving patients”.

Union bosses added after “more than decade of real-terms pay cuts” has meant “newly-qualified medics earn just £14.09 an hour.”

The striking junior doctors formed a picket line outside Peterborough City Hospital, where NHS staff said they feel “undervalued”.

“The pay doesn’t represent our value in the system and what we do,” Greg Pugh, and emergency department registrar at Peterborough City Hospital, said, speaking at the picket line outside the hospital.

"Our consultants are supporting us heavily and are providing a safe level of care across hospitals.

"This definitely feels like a necessary step in improving the overall quality of care for patients in NHS hospitals. I think the public are on our side.”

More than 36,000 BMA junior doctors are set to take part across the three days’ of walkouts, which will come to an end on Thursday (March 16).

Hospitals have reportedly cancelled tens of thousands of outpatient appointments and operations this week, as the strikes are set to severely disrupt the health service.

Patients have been told to attend their appointments unless they have been contacted to rearrange them.

Caroline Walker, chief executive officer at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Peterborough City Hospital, said: “We are expecting our hospitals to be operationally impacted by the proposed nationwide industrial action taking place next week. The 72-hour action period is in response to the dispute over junior doctors’ pay and is a matter between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Government. Locally we meet regularly with the BMA via the Local Negotiating Committee and we are committed to working in partnership to prioritise safe patient care and to protect service delivery, where possible.

“Our Trust leadership team has confirmed plans to manage service delivery during the period of action and the week as a whole. Our main priority will be ensuring we can continue to run our hospitals and care for our patients safely. We hope to keep any disruption to a minimum.”

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are working to ensure there will be minimal disruption to patient care during the industrial action.

“Patients should continue to attend their planned appointments unless contacted to reschedule and anyone in mental health crisis should call our First Response Service via NHS 111.”