Resident Doctors’ Focus On Pay Is Doing Untold Damage To The Nhs | Letters

As a retired doctor, now 80, I consciousness sad arsenic I watch our resident doctors struggle to exert unit connected nan authorities to summation their salary packet (Wes Streeting ‘thought he had struck woody to halt onslaught by doctors’, 27 July). This behaviour will person far-reaching consequences, which are improbable to beryllium beneficial either to nan doctors aliases nan country.

Clearly, nan action will origin delays successful curen and astir apt unnecessary morbidity and mortality. This will make nan NHS susceptible to unit from those who favour its abolition. Already, it has alienated ample sections of nan organization whose support nan doctors person ever been capable to count connected previously.

But nan British Medical Association has assured resident doctors that it is basal for them to put their livelihood up of nan wellbeing of nan public, to guarantee that nan NHS survives into nan future. This is simply a mendacious promise.

The committedness of resident doctors and nurses has ever been integral to nan occurrence of nan NHS, and location is nary uncertainty that this has been cardinal to nan unthinkable ratio it has demonstrated since its inception. It was conceived arsenic a non-commercial organisation.

There person ever been areas of nan globe wherever doctors could gain much than astatine home. But for most, nan attractions of nan NHS outweighed pecuniary advantages disposable elsewhere. I fearfulness that successful mounting their sights purely connected accrued remuneration, today’s resident doctors are starring nan NHS towards a alteration successful its full ethos, nan ethos that made it a success. The BMA should ore connected improving doctors’ moving conditions, arsenic Wes Streeting has offered them.
Robert Behrman
Cookham Dean, Berkshire

On Sunday I cancelled my subscription to nan British Medical Association aft being a personnel for 39 years, successful disgust astatine its insistence connected going up pinch nan onslaught of resident doctors successful pursuit of a 29% salary rise, contempt having had a 22% emergence complete nan erstwhile 2 years.

It is difficult to cognize what is nan correct complaint of salary for resident doctors, but nary different group successful nan wellness work is seeking specified a emergence successful pay, and nan determination to onslaught seems to disregard patients, arsenic good arsenic each nan different unit alongside whom they work. I judge that betterment successful nan moving conditions of doctors and each different groups should be sought done discussions, arsenic nan authorities has offered, not strikes.

Whatever nan due salary should beryllium for resident doctors, they should beryllium gladsome that they don’t get nan balanced of nan £2 per hr we were paid successful nan 1980s for each of nan 60 hours a week we had to be in the infirmary complete and supra our basal 40-hour week.
Prof David Cameron
Belhaven, East Lothian

I do person a batch of sympathy for our resident doctors, moreover though I was connected telephone connected Sunday arsenic a consultant. It is not conscionable that salary has been eroded, but besides that nan costs of becoming a expert has gone up, arsenic has nan costs of surviving successful general.

Unlike successful astir different higher-paid professions, half of doctors are women. The costs of childcare has gone up importantly since my day. There is nary much inexpensive infirmary accommodation. And nan student indebtedness strategy is misogynistic successful principle, nan liking accumulating during maternity leave.

Women gain little during their careers but extremity up paying backmost a batch much for their student loans arsenic a group. And because of nan forced itinerant lifestyle, astir doctors get their ft connected nan lodging ladder rather late, having to salary progressively unaffordable rents.
Marianne Gemmeke
Eastleigh, Hampshire

Wes Streeting rightly points retired that 90% of resident doctors voted for onslaught action, pinch a 55% turnout (Resident doctors’ onslaught undermines national movement, says Wes Streeting, 25 July). That intends conscionable nether 50% of each resident doctors voted successful favour.

He fails to constituent retired that Labour is successful powerfulness connected nan votes of 34% of nan 60% who turned out – astir 20% of nan electorate. The doctors’ consequence looks much convincing arsenic a trial of opinion, immoderate you think of nan salary award.
Peter West
London