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Doctors strike over pensions shakeup – live coverage Doctors strike over pensions shakeup – live coverage
(about 1 hour later)
10.39am: A third of GPs' surgeries are affected by the industrial action today, Denis Campbell reports.
10.31am: Below the line, onegpprotest writes about his/her local protest:
Our GP practice is open and working as usual. I have just sent an unwell man into hospital.
But we are wearing protest badges and have put up information in the waiting room as to why we are protesting. This is our version of "industrial action".
The BMA has been pretty useless at highlighting the structural underlying problem and as a result doctors have come across as greedy.
Suggest you read these two letters to the Lancet, one of them by Tower Hamlets GPs which is where I work.
http://bit.ly/LEWK8F and http://bit.ly/LlsY7w
We have enlarged copies of the letters and hung them in the waiting room.
9.37am: Andrew Lansley, the health secretary (left), has also accused the BMA of wanting a pension deal that would decrease those of lower-paid NHS staff. He said:9.37am: Andrew Lansley, the health secretary (left), has also accused the BMA of wanting a pension deal that would decrease those of lower-paid NHS staff. He said:
We needed something that was fairer for other NHS staff as well. The contributions do need to be properly progressive and they do need to reflect the highest paid paying a greater proportion into their pensions overall.We needed something that was fairer for other NHS staff as well. The contributions do need to be properly progressive and they do need to reflect the highest paid paying a greater proportion into their pensions overall.
He said that current arrangements meant that often the highest paid received twice as much back in pension benefits than lower-paid staff.He said that current arrangements meant that often the highest paid received twice as much back in pension benefits than lower-paid staff.
I'm afraid we are in a position where the BMA are out on their own and what they seem to be aiming for is to try and change things back so they get more and nurses and porters and others in the NHS get less.I'm afraid we are in a position where the BMA are out on their own and what they seem to be aiming for is to try and change things back so they get more and nurses and porters and others in the NHS get less.
Dean Royles, director of NHS Employers, which represents hospital trusts in England, said patients awaiting an operation to remove a cataract or benign lump, or replace a worn-out hip or knee, were among those whose care had been postponed, but only in some places. "I don't have any hard numbers [of patients affected] but in some places it will be very disruptive and in other places it will be very minimal."Dean Royles, director of NHS Employers, which represents hospital trusts in England, said patients awaiting an operation to remove a cataract or benign lump, or replace a worn-out hip or knee, were among those whose care had been postponed, but only in some places. "I don't have any hard numbers [of patients affected] but in some places it will be very disruptive and in other places it will be very minimal."
9.11am: The BMA and the health secretary have already been taking to the airwaves to put their sides of the story. On Radio 4's Today programme, Hamish Meldrum of the BMA (left) was repeatedly asked whether doctors were putting at risk their enviable public standing by taking industrial action today.9.11am: The BMA and the health secretary have already been taking to the airwaves to put their sides of the story. On Radio 4's Today programme, Hamish Meldrum of the BMA (left) was repeatedly asked whether doctors were putting at risk their enviable public standing by taking industrial action today.
Meldrum said: "Just to emphasise, no patients are being put at risk … We have to respond to what our members say, and they pretty overwhelmingly said that they were angry and they wanted to take this action. Nobody is happy about taking any action which inconveniences patients, but the nature of a doctor's job means it's almost impossible to find anything that won't do that. So that's why we emphasise public safety. I really hope that we can find a resolution to this. Nobody is happy about this. No doctor wants to do this."Meldrum said: "Just to emphasise, no patients are being put at risk … We have to respond to what our members say, and they pretty overwhelmingly said that they were angry and they wanted to take this action. Nobody is happy about taking any action which inconveniences patients, but the nature of a doctor's job means it's almost impossible to find anything that won't do that. So that's why we emphasise public safety. I really hope that we can find a resolution to this. Nobody is happy about this. No doctor wants to do this."
On ITV's Daybreak, Meldrum responded to Andrew Lansley's claim that the strike would be "pointless".On ITV's Daybreak, Meldrum responded to Andrew Lansley's claim that the strike would be "pointless".
I hope [the action] is not pointless and futile because we are very anxious to seek a resolution to this dispute and if this helps to highlight the problem and to get to that resolution then I hope it will have some point to it …I hope [the action] is not pointless and futile because we are very anxious to seek a resolution to this dispute and if this helps to highlight the problem and to get to that resolution then I hope it will have some point to it …
We doctors have enjoyed a good relationship, high trust, with their patients and we don't want to do anything to get rid of that, but what we feel we've had is lack of trust from the government.We doctors have enjoyed a good relationship, high trust, with their patients and we don't want to do anything to get rid of that, but what we feel we've had is lack of trust from the government.
We negotiated a deal on pensions four years ago that meant that doctors would work longer, they would pay more and that they would take the risk of any future increase or impact of people living longer on the pension scheme and the government has walked away from that deal. I hope that after today we can sit down and we can talk.We negotiated a deal on pensions four years ago that meant that doctors would work longer, they would pay more and that they would take the risk of any future increase or impact of people living longer on the pension scheme and the government has walked away from that deal. I hope that after today we can sit down and we can talk.
On the same programme, Lansley urged doctors not to participate:On the same programme, Lansley urged doctors not to participate:
I know doctors don't want to go on strike. I hope they don't. I think if they have an argument and they're angry, they're angry with the government and that's our job to represent the taxpayer and the public interest, and maybe we will have that argument. But I can't see why anybody thinks there is any benefit in penalising patients. It won't serve any purpose whatsoever.I know doctors don't want to go on strike. I hope they don't. I think if they have an argument and they're angry, they're angry with the government and that's our job to represent the taxpayer and the public interest, and maybe we will have that argument. But I can't see why anybody thinks there is any benefit in penalising patients. It won't serve any purpose whatsoever.
The last time doctors took action was in 1975, when consultants suspended goodwill activities and worked to contract over a contractual dispute, and junior doctors worked to a 40-hour week because of dissatisfaction with the progress of contract negotiations.The last time doctors took action was in 1975, when consultants suspended goodwill activities and worked to contract over a contractual dispute, and junior doctors worked to a 40-hour week because of dissatisfaction with the progress of contract negotiations.
9.00am: Hello, and welcome to today's live coverage of the first doctors' strike in almost 40 years.9.00am: Hello, and welcome to today's live coverage of the first doctors' strike in almost 40 years.
The effect of the industrial action – over changes to doctors' pensions that they regard as unfair and unnecessary – is difficult to predict.The effect of the industrial action – over changes to doctors' pensions that they regard as unfair and unnecessary – is difficult to predict.
Not all doctors are taking part. About a third do not belong to the British Medical Association, which has called the action, and when the BMA balloted its members last month 21% of GPs and 15.7% of hospital consultants said they would not participate, on turnouts of 53.1% and 56% respectively.Not all doctors are taking part. About a third do not belong to the British Medical Association, which has called the action, and when the BMA balloted its members last month 21% of GPs and 15.7% of hospital consultants said they would not participate, on turnouts of 53.1% and 56% respectively.
Nevertheless, services in hospitals and GPs' surgeries in many areas will be affected. But unlike in most industrial disputes, doctors will still attend their workplaces as usual, continuing to deal with urgent and emergency cases, and only refusing to attend to routine and non-urgent appointments and consultations. So it should be business as usual in A&E departments, maternity units, for renal and cancer patients, and anyone needing an urgent diagnostic test or end-of-life care, while 80% of UK hospitals, according to the BMA, have cancelled some planned operations and some outpatient appointments.Nevertheless, services in hospitals and GPs' surgeries in many areas will be affected. But unlike in most industrial disputes, doctors will still attend their workplaces as usual, continuing to deal with urgent and emergency cases, and only refusing to attend to routine and non-urgent appointments and consultations. So it should be business as usual in A&E departments, maternity units, for renal and cancer patients, and anyone needing an urgent diagnostic test or end-of-life care, while 80% of UK hospitals, according to the BMA, have cancelled some planned operations and some outpatient appointments.
Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, has claimed that 30,000 operations will be cancelled, 1.25m GP appointments delayed, 58,000 diagnostic tests postponed, and 200,000 outpatient appointments rescheduled. But there is no way of verifying these figures because the Department of Health has asked NHS trusts not to release such details to the media. The DoH may release a summary of the impact later on today.Andrew Lansley, the health secretary, has claimed that 30,000 operations will be cancelled, 1.25m GP appointments delayed, 58,000 diagnostic tests postponed, and 200,000 outpatient appointments rescheduled. But there is no way of verifying these figures because the Department of Health has asked NHS trusts not to release such details to the media. The DoH may release a summary of the impact later on today.
We will be reporting on the impact of the doctors' day of action live here throughout the day.We will be reporting on the impact of the doctors' day of action live here throughout the day.