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As a doctor, I pledged to ‘do no harm’ – so I must strike against unsafe care As a doctor, I pledged to ‘do no harm’ – so I must strike against unsafe care
(7 months later)
A key ethical principle of my job as a doctor is to “do no harm” to my patients. Any procedure performed, or treatment or medicine given to a patient, has benefits and disadvantages. It is my role to balance these in the best interests of the patient to provide high quality, safe care. I, along with all NHS staff, must be an advocate of safe care for my patient. That is why I must and will take industrial action today.A key ethical principle of my job as a doctor is to “do no harm” to my patients. Any procedure performed, or treatment or medicine given to a patient, has benefits and disadvantages. It is my role to balance these in the best interests of the patient to provide high quality, safe care. I, along with all NHS staff, must be an advocate of safe care for my patient. That is why I must and will take industrial action today.
Related: Junior doctors strike: Hunt claims 43% of doctors working – live updates
Jeremy Hunt, the secretary of state for health, continues to push through his political aims with no thought for the horrendous damage they will do to patient care. He is unwilling to truly engage with NHS staff, hiding behind misleading, sensationalist and dangerous statistics. We already know about the Hunt effect – which scares people from going to hospital at the weekend and has already hastened death in a handful of patients. Never in my career did I think I would find myself having to reassure people that hospitals function at the weekend. Furthermore, when interviewed he refuses to answer questions or concerns from health professionals, instead claiming that we are all being misled by the BMA. This is patronising and is simply not true. Why does he still refuse to listen to the huge concerns expressed by doctors, their union and their training colleges?Jeremy Hunt, the secretary of state for health, continues to push through his political aims with no thought for the horrendous damage they will do to patient care. He is unwilling to truly engage with NHS staff, hiding behind misleading, sensationalist and dangerous statistics. We already know about the Hunt effect – which scares people from going to hospital at the weekend and has already hastened death in a handful of patients. Never in my career did I think I would find myself having to reassure people that hospitals function at the weekend. Furthermore, when interviewed he refuses to answer questions or concerns from health professionals, instead claiming that we are all being misled by the BMA. This is patronising and is simply not true. Why does he still refuse to listen to the huge concerns expressed by doctors, their union and their training colleges?
When pressed about seven-day working, Hunt is unwilling to comprehend that it is simply not possible to provide care that is dignified, safe, and of high quality, on the cheap. I, along with many other NHS staff, find it insulting and unbelievable that he buries a report on nursing numbers and then calls for further frontline staff to be cut. That he thinks it is OK to blame doctors’ wages for stopping hospitals rostering more at the weekend. That he will cut the training bursary for student nurses, and may do the same for medical students from low-income backgrounds.When pressed about seven-day working, Hunt is unwilling to comprehend that it is simply not possible to provide care that is dignified, safe, and of high quality, on the cheap. I, along with many other NHS staff, find it insulting and unbelievable that he buries a report on nursing numbers and then calls for further frontline staff to be cut. That he thinks it is OK to blame doctors’ wages for stopping hospitals rostering more at the weekend. That he will cut the training bursary for student nurses, and may do the same for medical students from low-income backgrounds.
So strong is the loss of confidence in Hunt and the Department of Health that “Hunt-free zone” cards are being handed out from picket lines today. The card, an imitation of the Thatchcard of the 1980s, is held in a person’s wallet and makes clear that should they be admitted to hospital when Jeremy Hunt is visiting, under no circumstances do they wish to be personally visited by him.So strong is the loss of confidence in Hunt and the Department of Health that “Hunt-free zone” cards are being handed out from picket lines today. The card, an imitation of the Thatchcard of the 1980s, is held in a person’s wallet and makes clear that should they be admitted to hospital when Jeremy Hunt is visiting, under no circumstances do they wish to be personally visited by him.
Related: Half of Britons believe weekend hospital admissions 'more dangerous'
Junior doctors are the first up for sale. Contract negotiations have stalled because doctors along with the public know that what is being proposed is unsafe. The new proposed contract means scant, unaccountable safeguards to stop unsafe hours; downsized financial disincentives to stop hospitals overworking doctors; the ability to rota doctors to work every other Saturday, which will lead to fragmented rotas and more handovers, which increase the chance of error.Junior doctors are the first up for sale. Contract negotiations have stalled because doctors along with the public know that what is being proposed is unsafe. The new proposed contract means scant, unaccountable safeguards to stop unsafe hours; downsized financial disincentives to stop hospitals overworking doctors; the ability to rota doctors to work every other Saturday, which will lead to fragmented rotas and more handovers, which increase the chance of error.
It is clear now how the government plans to staff a seven-day service with a five-day workforce already stretched to breaking point – a return to the unsafe hours of the past, with everything this means for patient safety. I am not misled by the BMA. I must do no harm. I must strike today.It is clear now how the government plans to staff a seven-day service with a five-day workforce already stretched to breaking point – a return to the unsafe hours of the past, with everything this means for patient safety. I am not misled by the BMA. I must do no harm. I must strike today.