Doctors are angry. This week, thousands of doctors marched in Westminster to protest the unreasonable changes to their contract being forced through by the government. But what exactly are these changes that are making doctors so angry and how will it affect the NHS as a whole?
The term junior doctor refers to any doctor from when they are in their very first foundation job (when they are 23/24) until they become a consultant (usually in their late thirties), so they make up a large proportion of the NHS workforce. One of the biggest problems posed by the new contract is the removal of safeguard mechanisms that limit of the number of hours a junior doctor can work. This is quite evidently unsafe and will hugely compromise patient safety, which is the primary focus of doctors. The changes will risk lives, as they will lead to a workforce of exhausted, burnt out doctors who are unable to provide the high level of care they strive to give.
The changes will also lead to around a 30% pay cut for doctors who will be required to work more antisocial shifts, further depleting morale in the workforce. Doctors are already required to pay high compulsory annual registration fees to the General Medical Council and membership fees to legal organisations, as well as paying hundreds of pounds to take the exams necessary to advance their careers. These changes to pay will also disproportionately affect doctors who take time out from work to take higher qualifications or to conduct important research, as well as female doctors who choose to have children.
Additionally, the changes will likely ultimately pave the way for the dismantlement and privatisation of the NHS. Many doctors are seriously considering working abroad where they would receive better conditions from their employers, which would allow them to carry out the job they love in an environment where they are able to uphold the guiding principle of the importance of patient care. Alternatively, despite their passion for medicine, the prospect of these damaging changes taking place means that doctors are also considering alternative careers where they will have more stable working conditions.
The subsequent shortage of doctors means that this will lead to will ultimately increase the NHS’ debt. The solution likely to be offered will be privatisation of the NHS. The NHS as it stands is more than just a provider of care – it is a sanctuary of equality where every person is treated equally despite background and wealth. Privatisation would compromise this and would quite possibly breach the basic principles upon which the NHS was founded.
Last week, the British Medical Association announced that junior doctors would be receiving a ballot to decide whether industrial action will be taken. The changes being forced through by the government are a massive, palpable threat to the NHS and the majority of doctors believe that strike action is now the only way to defend the NHS and protect their profession. The NHS is an incredible establishment that, for the meantime, belongs to all of us. Therefore it is up to all of us to spread the word to preserve it for ourselves and for the generations that follow!
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