🔗 Share this article Junior Physicians in England to Stage Five Consecutive Day Walkout Next Month Medical professionals in England are preparing to stage a five consecutive day walkout in November, in protest over pay and employment. Walkout Information The BMA announced that junior physicians will walk out for five consecutive days from 7am on 14 November to 7am on 19 November. Resident doctors, who constitute about half of all doctors in the NHS, are proceeding with the strike after failed negotiations with the government. Reasons Behind the Strike Dr Jack Fletcher commented, “We did not want to reach this point. We have spent the last week in talks with officials, pressing the health minister to end the scandal of doctors going unemployed.” “Our survey reveals 50% of second-year physicians in England are struggling to find jobs, their skills going to waste whilst countless individuals endure long waits for care and hospital shifts go unfilled. This is a situation which cannot go on.” He continued, “We negotiated sincerely, hoping the minister to understand that a deal offering solutions to gradually reverse the pay reductions over a number of years, giving newly trained doctors a pay increase of just a pound an hour for the coming four years.” “We trusted the government would recognize that our demands are not just fair but are in the best interests of the community and our patients and would also help prevent our doctors departing from the health service.” Who Are Resident Physicians? Resident doctors have anywhere up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice. More details are expected shortly.