'I'm an NHS doctor - this is why junior doctors are striking today... and consultants could follow them'
The Government is 'nowhere near' striking an agreement with junior doctors - and more senior colleagues could soon follow them on the picket line. That's the message from Dr Naru Narayanan, an NHS consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist nurse, who is president of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association .
Dr Narayanan says 'no direct negotiations' have taken place between his union and the Department for Health and Social Care over pay, and while a previous offer put forward to junior doctors included other benefits, it did not address the demand for higher pay. Dr Narayanan believes the demand of a 35% increase 'does not have to be addressed in one go', and there is a deal to be reached that could see pay increase over a period of time.
Unions say patients are ultimately suffering because current NHS pay levels are leading to doctors moving abroad, hitting a health service which already has a high number of vacancies. Dr Narayanan believes the industrial action is a call to 'save the NHS' and make sure it is 'world class'. The BMA has warned that junior doctors could 'strike throughout the summer' without progress in pay talks, with three days of action each month. Consultants could also take their own industrial action, with unions asking more senior members if they wish to strike over pay, as the BMA says they have seen their pay fall by 35% since 2008.
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