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NHS After Strike: A Case Study

Decent Essays
Can we really trust the NHS after the recent junior doctor strike? Dr Ethan Copeland explains.
It has been an ongoing problem for the last 3 years, and is continuing to make front page news. If you haven’t heard about the junior doctor’s strike then you’ve either been living under a rock or you’re part of the BNP, who have still failed to recognise the issue. In total, there are over 55,000 junior doctors in England - representing a third of the medical workforce. So how can our NHS possibly function when strike after strike is reducing our staff and as a result our patients care?
In credit of recent events, I spoke to Cambridge graduate and F2 medical student Ethan Copeland, who has been a proud supporter of the strikes since 2014. During the interview I asked him his thoughts on the current cutbacks, constant barrage of the NHS and the long hours that he fears are putting junior doctors at risk.
Ministers and junior doctors are locked in an increasingly tense quarrel in England. But what exactly is the row about?
For me, it is about the new contract that has been brought out. It’s appalling and unjust to force us to work the hours we do, never mind increasing them. As a junior
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But what he isn’t advertising is the fact that it comes at a price. Other elements of the pay package are to be limited, including what constitutes unsociable hours. Day shifts on a Saturday will be paid at a standard rate, while extra premiums that are being offered for night and the rest of the weekend are lower than what is currently paid. In other words we are being cheated, and our long hours and possibly the busiest weekend shifts are being overlooked. On top of that, most of us are annoyed as our guaranteed pay increases related to time in the job are also going to be scrapped and replaced with a system linked to advancement through set training periods. It’s
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