ABOUT 20 junior doctors joined a picket line at Bradford Royal Infirmary as strike action got under way this morning.

Many motorists pipped their horns in support as they passed the main entrance to the hospital.

The junior doctors gathered outside the hospital, on Duckworth Lane, from about 8am.

A picket line, with around 25 people, was also in place at Airedale Hospital, where drivers are urged to beep horns in support.

Megan Atkinson, one of the junior doctors picketing outside Airedale today, said: "At the moment we feel we've not been given any other option, and this is the only way we can get our point across to the government.

"The contract they are trying to impose on us is not fair and in the long-term it will put patients in danger."

Nicola Holmes, a first year doctor also taking part in the strike, said: "A 'Seven-day-a-week NHS' is a good headline-grabber for the Government but it isn't possible to further burden what is already an overstretched service.

"We are doing 24/7 emergency work already."

A Meet Your Doctors event is also being held in Keighley town centre, between the Airedale Shopping Centre and the bus station, from 1pm to 3pm. People will be given information about the strike, able to ask questions and encouraged to take 'Support your NHS' selfies with the staff.

The walkout is a second day of strike action by the British Medical Association in a row with the government over a new contract. The 24-hour action will see only emergency cover provided.

Junior doctors - all medics below consultant level - are providing emergency care only in the 24-hour walkout.

The first strike in January led to thousands of operations, procedures and appointments being cancelled across the NHS.

Today's action is causing similar disruption, with analysis by NHS England showing 1,150 planned inpatient procedures have been cancelled alongside 1,734 day procedures.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Striking junior doctors outside Bradford Royal Infirmary

Chris Lewis, who is in charge of the strike action outside BRI, said: "The last thing we want to be doing is standing out here in the cold and not doing our jobs.

"The last thing we want is for patient safety to be put at risk."

He added: "We want the public support to continue. It is that which will help us."

Yesterday, a spokesman for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs BRI and St Luke's Hospital, said: “Arrangements have been made to ensure that patient safety and levels of care are not compromised by any industrial action, and all essential services, such as emergency and urgent surgery, will continue as normal.

“We strive, wherever possible, to avoid cancelling routine appointments and clinics. Any affected patients have been notified and if patients have not heard from us they should attend their appointments as normal.”

Stacey Hunter, director of operations at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, also said patient's safety was its priority.

"We are working with our staff, including consultants, nurses, other health professionals and union representatives, to ensure high quality and safe care and welfare are maintained.

“There has been a need to rearrange some of our planned activities such as outpatient appointments and non-emergency operations, we have contingency plans in place to ensure that any urgent and emergency care can continue. We have contacted anyone whose appointment or operation has been affected and will do our best to reschedule these as soon as possible. If patients have not heard from us they should attend their appointments as normal.”

Sir David Dalton - chief executive of Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, who has been drafted in by the Government to broker a deal - held last-minute talks with BMA representatives and officials from NHS Employers in a bid to avert the strike.

However, the informal talks concluded yesterday with no resolution.

The major sticking point in the dispute is over weekend pay and whether Saturday should be largely classed as a normal working day.

Currently, 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay for junior doctors.

An offer from the Government in November said doctors would receive time-and-a-half for any hours worked Monday to Sunday between 10pm and 7am, and time-and-a-third for any hours worked between 7pm and 10pm on Saturdays and 7am and 10pm on Sundays.

But in its latest offer, ministers said that as part of an overall agreement, a premium rate of pay could kick in from 5pm on Saturdays rather than 7pm, and at 9pm Monday to Friday.

This offer was rejected by the BMA, which then put forward a proposal that would have seen doctors' basic pay rise by about half the 11% offered by ministers in return for Saturday not to be treated as a normal working day.

The union argued it would have been cost-neutral, meaning the Government would not pay any more than the £5 billion currently spent on junior doctor salaries.

But the Government blocked that deal.

Dr Johann Malawana, the BMA's junior doctors' committee chairman, tweeted this morning: "We presented fully costed & working solution that was rejected due to pride & politics."

  • Anyone needing non-emergency medical help during the industrial action should consider NHS Choices, visit their local pharmacy or call their GP or NHS 111 for more serious matters. If it is an emergency or is life-threatening call 999 as usual or go to A&E.