Junior doctors are striking from Wednesday to Saturday this week, warning there could be further disruption if the government does not budge.
The 72-hour walkout began at 7am and the British Medical Association (BMA) has said it could have an “enormous impact on routine care for patients" with 47,600 of its members set to take industrial action.
The association has demanded more than the five per cent pay increase the government has offered and said that junior doctors have suffered a real terms “pay erosion” of 26 per cent over the past 15 years. This has meant that wages have not kept up with inflation and they want a 35 per cent pay rise to offset this.
More than 350,000 appointments and procedures are expected to be cancelled across England this week. Londoners have been warned to stay away from A&E unless they have life-threatening injuries, as over 50,000 bookings are due to be cancelled in the capital alone.
But which London hospitals are set to be affected by this week’s walkouts?
Here is the full list.
London hospitals affected by strikes
- Barnet
- Charing Cross Hospital
- Croydon
- Ealing Hospital
- Epsom
- Great Ormond Street
- Guy’s
- Hillingdon
- Homerton
- Jane Atkinson Centre
- King George Hospital
- King’s College
- Kingston
- Lewisham
- Maudsley
- Newham
- North Middlesex UH
- Northwick Park
- Princess Royal, Bromley
- QEH Woolwich
- Queen’s Hospital
- Royal Free
- Royal London
- Royal Marsden
- St Anne’s
- St Bart’s
- St George’s
- St Mary’s
- St Thomas’
- University College
- Whipps Cross
How much are junior doctors paid?
Junior doctors’ pay is determined by their years of experience, as well as the role they are performing.
There are two pay scales that doctors in training might fall under, depending on their contract. In their first year as a foundation doctor, junior doctors will receive £29,384, according to the BMA. In the second year, this increases to £34,012.
If they are on the second type of contract, junior doctors will earn £25,494 during their first year and £31,621 in their second.
The BMA says junior doctors in England have seen a real-term pay cut of 26.1 per cent since the tax year 2008/09.
What happens during the strike?
During this week’s walkout, junior doctors will not provide emergency medical care to patients.
NHS managers have warned that patient care is “on a knife-edge” as staff began the most disruptive strike in the history of the nation’s healthcare service.
