I'm still angry at the government.
But at least one MP understands what I mean: Famous Green Caroline Lucas has sponsored a sympathetic early day motion http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2015-16/539, so I wrote a letter to my MP at www.theyworkforyou.com to bring it to his attention.
Tuesday 20 October 2015
Dear My Local MP,
I have recently moved to constituency to begin work as a junior doctor
at hospital, and so have become one of your constituents. I am writing to
ask for your support in opposing recent changes to doctors' working
conditions and further to express my disappointment in the current
government's handling of the NHS.
I am sure you are well aware of the collective anger felt by doctors at
prospective contract changes. Much opinion and analysis has been
published in the national press, as well as on social media. I expect
many doctors will have written to you before now and you will have no
doubt seen coverage of the large demonstration in London last weekend.
I speak for many of my colleagues in stating that I believe the imposed
changes are damaging for a great number of reasons. The proposed
contract devalues doctors, patients and the NHS.
The contract fundamentally changes the way doctors get paid, such that
they would expect no increased pay for working evenings or Saturdays.
This allow rota managers to significantly worsen the working
conditions of all doctors, and will result in a significant pay cut for
doctors already working difficult rotas.
The contract would remove safeguards against doctors working long
hours. Doctors could be coerced into routinely working longer than
their contracted hours, further demoralising and fatiguing those in the
profession.
The reason for this change appears to be to work towards a 7 day health
service. The benefits of a full 7 day (elective, as emergency cover is
already 7 day) NHS has been grossly overstated by the government. Many
people would welcome the huge increase in staff (and funding) required
to achieve a full 7 day service, but unfortunately there has been no
suggestion of this.
Without extra funding and extra staff the alternative solutions would
be either pulling doctors out of their weekday jobs to cover the
weekends - and the NHS is already straining to operate Monday to Friday
- or increasing the working week of doctors by approximately 40% more
hours. Both are directly harmful to doctors and patients. The contract
would also pave the way for other healthcare professionals to be
expected to work at the weekend and/or face (further) pay cuts
themselves so these concerns will be soon also directly felt by nurses,
consultants, porters, radiographers, ward clerks, physiotherapists and
so on, and on, and on.
There is already a large retention and recruitment crisis in the NHS.
Training positions in many specialities remain unfilled and demands of
patient care are only barely met with expensive and less efficient
locum staff. As doctors decide that the working conditions are no
longer tolerable then the working conditions for those remaining get
worse still as they must shoulder the annually increasing burden.
Obviously this situation is already bad for patient care, and the
problem will only be exacerbated as this contract will force many
doctors out of the NHS to better jobs in the UK or abroad. I am very
concerned that an understaffed NHS will not survive much longer.
It is painful to watch as my profession and the NHS continue to be
undervalued, misunderstood and mismanaged. I do not have confidence in
the Secretary of State for Health's ability to protect the nations
health. I urge the Secretary of State to listen to his workforce and to
engage in meaningful talks. Unfortunately this has not occurred as yet
and many doctors feel forced to take the uneasy decision to vote for
industrial action in the coming ballot. I sincerely hope there can be a
strike-free resolution that allows doctors to feel valued, patients to
receive excellent care and shows investment in the future of the
National Health Service.
I strongly believe that the NHS is worth fighting for and so I would
like to ask your support for Early Day Motion 539: Junior Doctors (tabled
19/10/15), and also to ask what you and the Labour Party will do to protect
doctors, patients and the NHS.
Many thanks for listening to my concerns. I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
Dr O
MA MBChB
On the 5th of November I got a fairly supportive copy paste reply, albeit vague and without reference to the Early Day Motion I asked support for.
(re-copied and pasted here with names removed)
Dear Dr
Thank you for your recent email regarding junior doctor contracts.
The Labour Party is currently leading on this issue in the House of Commons. Last week, we secured an opposition day debate on the matter where we called for the Government to drop their plans for a new junior doctor contract. We also put forward new proposals which are fair for staff and safe for patients.
Ultimately, the Labour Party believes that it is wrong for the Government to want to pay some junior doctors less to do the work they do now. Labour is concerned that the removal of safeguards which prevent junior doctors having to work excessively hours may leave them too exhausted to provide safe patient care. Jeremy Hunt should recognise the increasing public concern on this issue, stop his high-handed demands and demonstrate a willingness to compromise and prioritise patient safety.
I can assure you that this issue is a priority of the Labour Party’s. In opposition, we will continue to follow this matter closely to hold the Government to account.
I have also offered to meet with a group of constituents and junior doctors who are concerned about this matter.
Please do not hesitate to contact me again if you feel that I can be of any further assistance with this or any other matter.
Yours sincerely
