Striking junior doctors remain determined at start of historic five day stoppage

Heath chiefs says it is the start of major disruption to county hospital services as senior staff go back on to the front cover enable hospitals to provide a service for genuine emergencies.

"We are very sorry that people are having their appointments cancelled," said one of the RSH doctors on the picket line who did not wish to be named. "But the strike is not the root cause of that issue."

Other doctors, members of the British Medical Association, say that the issue of their pay needs to be addressed to stop their colleagues leaving. There are others, they say, about a 'lack of investment' in the NHS.

One striker said he was looking at relocating to the Netherlands to take up a role there.

He said: "I went to one of their hospitals, where the observations such as blood pressure could be scanned into a system automatically.

"Here a nurse might take the observations but is so busy won't have the time to put the observations in. I then have to spend time finding the nurse so I can see a patient's observations."

Another spoke of "not having a chair to sit on or a desk" and another unnamed medic said: "You would expect that the most difficult aspect of the job is having conversations with patients, but it isn't."

Others spoke of old technology and broken printers in what is still a "friendly and supportive" hospital to work in. Their issue is with the government, not local management.

And one of the doctors was keen to emphasise that the strike is all about pay restoration and they see offers so far as derisory in comparison with offers made to NHS staff in the devolved government in Scotland in particular.

Doctors see that the NHS can pay locum staff on higher rates of pay than those employed. They are wanting a rise from £14 per hour to £19 per hour, or 35 per cent. They think it would be the first step on stopping staff leaving and attracting more people to join the service.

But the opinion of some on the picket line was that the Government is stalling and hoping that the BMA members do not vote to continue strike action at the end of a voting process in August.

They welcomed their senior hospital colleagues voting to strike for the first time next week as a sign that the profession is united in its calls for the Government to make a "serious pay offer".

"We have been offered 5 per cent which would be an effective pay cut," said one of the doctors. "They are penny wise but pound foolish."

Responding to claims that the "country cannot afford to pay the bill" a striker claimed: "There is plenty of money when the Government wants to pay for something. The fact they are not paying for this is a political decision.

"Investing in the NHS means that we can get people fit and back into the workforce, which is good for the economy."

There was little sign of a drop off in public support for the strikers on Thursday morning. A succession of cars beeped their horns while the Star was on the scene at the Mytton Oak Road hospital.

"Polls are showing that public support has gone up," said one.

"We think our ballot will show strong support and that we will be striking every month until pay is restored," said another.

The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital were all set to be affected by the longest strike yet in the ongoing dispute with the government over pay, and concludes at 7am on Tuesday, July 18.

Local health bosses warned that “significant disruption” is expected.and have urged the public to “think wisely” during the action.

It will be followed by a strike from senior doctors and hospital consultants, from 7am on Thursday, July 20, until 7am on Saturday, July 22.

NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin is encouraging people to use NHS 111 online if they are unsure on where to go, and to only attend an Emergency Department if it is “absolutely necessary”.

They said that advice was to make sure that care is “available to patients who need it”.

Alison Bussey, chief nursing officer at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board, said: “During the industrial action, the NHS services and hospital services in particular, will be working really hard to keep important services like protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma open and running smoothly.

“However, We do know that the strike will mean that our elective or planned services, so our operations and outpatient appointments, will be affected.”

People have been contacted and advised if their appointment was to be cancelled – and people have been told to attend if they have not been notified of a cancellation.

A statement from NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin said: “General practices, community pharmacies and minor injury units will remain open and will be there to help and support you.

“You can help us by making sure you use services efficiently and effectively, and only using emergency services when they are really required. If you can, try using 111 online as your first point of call, and only use 999 in an emergency.”

The Government's Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: "It is disappointing that the BMA is going ahead with further strike action. This five-day walkout by junior doctors will have an impact on thousands of patients, put patient safety at risk and hamper efforts to cut NHS waiting lists.

"We were in discussions about pay and a range of other measures to improve the working lives of junior doctors until their representatives collapsed the negotiations by announcing further strikes. A pay demand of 35 per cent or more is unreasonable and risks fuelling inflation, which makes everyone poorer.

"Earlier this week I held a round table with doctors in training to talk about other key issues that affect them so we can work together to make the NHS a better place for all. We recently published the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan which includes measures to better support staff, improve training and double the number of medical school places by 2031.

"If the BMA shows willingness to move significantly from their current pay demands and cancels these damaging and disruptive strikes, we can get around the table to find a fair deal to resolve this dispute."