The headlines have been dominated by news from the NHS in recent weeks, as junior doctors have once again taken to industrial action in hopes of achieving key changes to pay. Junior doctors, via the British Medical Association, are striking for a 35% pay rise. But what is the reason for the strike action, and is it reasonable?
What is a Junior Doctor?
To better understand the motivations behind the junior doctors’ strike, it is important to have a basic understanding of the UK’s healthcare system and the hierarchy of healthcare professionals. Junior doctors account for around 50% of all doctors in the UK, their name being somewhat misleading in some circumstances. The ‘junior’ prefix simply illustrates that a doctor has not formally completed their training; junior doctors can have up to eight years of experience in hospital settings.
35% – Is It a Fair Demand?
The question leading the debate in media circles at present surrounds the 35% figure at the core of the strikes. Junior doctors are firm in their demands for a 35% uplift to their annual salary, but is it too much too soon? The prevailing argument against the raise is that it is triple the rate of inflation, and a significant outlay for a government still rebounding from both the pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis.
The argument for the rise, however, is a difficult one to rebut. The 35% figure represents how much it would take for a junior doctor’s salary to reach parity with a junior doctor’s salary in 2008. That is, junior doctors have seen their pay shrink to 65% its prior value over 15 years, and are simply seeking to be paid as they were. If the question regards the fairness of the rise, there is little to support the premise that 35% would be unfair.
Striking and the NHS
Pay besides, there are major concerns for the health of the NHS as the junior doctors conduct their strike action. The concern is that the missing staff will have profound impacts for healthcare outcomes, whether increasing the risk of medical negligence occurring in hospital facilities or increasing waiting times for basic access to primary care.
While the impact of the strike will be keenly felt, the response is again difficult to counter. Junior doctors are not striking purely for pay parity, but also for the future of the NHS. With pay as low as it is, and without significant investment into the NHS, core systems are failing and staff numbers dwindling. Mortality rates are suspected to rise as a result of strikes, but are also higher than they should be at rest; with acquiescence to junior doctor demands the NHS could be curbing death rates as opposed to enshrining them.
The debate is not a simple one by any means, and the likelihood of a swift resolution is slim. However divisive the strike action might be in certain specific spheres, many doctors are emboldened by a wealth of public support.
