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Green Party co-leader, Carla Denyer, showed her support for junior doctors by visiting their picket line outside the Bristol Royal Infirmary. Junior doctors have been on strike since 7am Wednesday 20 September and will finish at 7am on Saturday 23 September.
This comes after the recent revelation that University Hospitals Bristol and Weston paid consultants £261 an hour to provide cover for striking junior doctors [1].
In response Carla said:
“These costs are caused by the Government’s refusal to meet with and listen to the junior doctors who are acting to protect the standard of patient care and the future of the NHS.
“I have been listening.
“I met striking junior doctors at the picket line who explained the financial pressure they are under, especially those newly graduated from medical school, with huge debts, who need to pay a deposit and first few months’ rent on a flat, professional fees, etc, all on a low income, in spite of the long hours they are working and the years of training it has taken for them to get here.
“They told me about the number of colleagues leaving the profession due to highly stressful working conditions and unfair pay.
“I know that junior doctors don’t take these decisions lightly. They understand the impact that poor pay and conditions has, not just on themselves, but on the future of the NHS. The Government is simply not going to be able to tackle the 112,000 vacancies if they’re not willing to restore years of erosion to their pay.”
NOTES
[1] Millions paid for cover during doctors’ strike – BBC News