All-out junior doctor strike begins

The first ever all-out junior doctor strike to include emergency services has begun in England, to protest against the imposition of a new contract set to be introduced from the summer.

The strike is the first of its kind to take place in the history of the NHS and means thousands of junior doctors have walked out of A&E, maternity and intensive care from 8:00 am this morning. A second strike will also begin on Wednesday 27 April taking place from 8:00-17:00.

NHS bosses have assured that plans have been put in place to ensure safety and have claimed the situation will be monitored closely during the stoppage. Hospitals will be able to request that junior doctors return to work if necessary, however, no NHS trust has asked this yet.

A poll by Ipsos Mori showed that 57 per cent of the public backed junior doctors’ plans to conduct an all-out strike, while 26 per cent said they were opposed to the action. In the last 48-hour walkout, 65 per cent of the public maintained they supported the strike, suggesting public support may have dwindled as the industrial action extends to include emergency care.

NHS England has taken a number of steps to ensure that safety levels are kept to a maximum. Steps taken include: the postponement of nearly 13,000 routine operations and more than 100,000 appointments to free up staff; the cancellation of holidays and study leave; redeployment of consultants, middle-grade doctors and nurses into emergency care; more GP appointments being kept free for last-minute requests; and an increase in 111 staff rostered on to allow the phone service to handle more calls.

Anne Rainsberry of NHS England said: "Clearly industrial action of this type can put significant pressure on the NHS. We have been working with all hospitals to make sure they have plans in place to provide urgent and emergency care."