{"id":36572,"date":"2016-04-28T14:48:13","date_gmt":"2016-04-28T13:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stg-blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=36572"},"modified":"2016-04-28T14:48:28","modified_gmt":"2016-04-28T13:48:28","slug":"joseph-okeeffe-the-junior-doctors-strike-voices-from-the-ward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stg-blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2016\/04\/28\/joseph-okeeffe-the-junior-doctors-strike-voices-from-the-ward\/","title":{"rendered":"Joseph O’Keeffe: The junior doctors’ strike\u2014voices from the ward"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"joseph_okeeffe\"<\/a>Junior doctors are arguing that the contract changes compromise patient safety. I agree. But do those we treat? It\u2019s hard to tell. Social media appears dominated by the junior doctors, whereas the newspapers and the broadcasters merely present a succession of politicians and \u201cexperts.\u201d The patient\u2019s voice seems lost amidst the acrimony between the Department of Health and the BMA, especially that of some of our most poorly patients: the elderly. The official polls focus on getting nationally representative surveys<\/a>, lumping our older patients into a \u201c60+\u201d category. As any healthcare worker knows, there\u2019s a stark generational difference between patients in their 60s and those in their 80s. With the strikes raging all around me this week, I crossed lines and snuck back onto the wards to ask the patients what they have to say.<\/p>\n

My first patient was an 82-year-old retired factory worker from Leicester\u2019s hosiery mills. She was unequivocal: \u201cI don\u2019t want my doctors so overworked that they can\u2019t concentrate. It\u2019s dangerous.\u201d She strongly supported both their right to strike with and without emergency cover. Her neighbour, a 71-year-old housewife felt just as strongly: \u201c[the junior doctors] work incredibly hard. They deserve better conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the bay, a 95-year-old former nurse, was less sure. Whilst she supported striking with emergency cover, she opposed withdrawing it: “the doctors of my day would never go out and wave placards like that, it just doesn’t look professional. It’s a pity, I wish there were other ways they could express their frustration.” Her sentiment was echoed generally amongst the other patients I spoke to. A 72-year-old retired teacher was more vocal, strongly opposing the strikes: \u201cPlease, sit down and negotiate, for our sake.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for why the junior doctors were striking, opinions varied just as widely. Most said the strikes were pay-related. And so it should be, claimed a 70-year-old former baker: “They are fighting for what they deserve. They should squeeze them [the government] for every penny!” His neighbour, a 75-year-old retired engineer, disagreed: “Look, the junior doctors [here] have been fantastic, they’re much less arrogant than the consultants. But let’s be honest, it’s a reasonably well paid job. We all work long hours!” Only one patient mentioned contract imposition as a key driver in the junior doctors\u2019 decision to strike.<\/p>\n

When asked what they thought a junior doctor was paid five years\u2019 post-graduation, most patients couldn\u2019t (or wouldn\u2019t) say. Those that did typically thought that they earned well in excess of \u00a360,000 a year. By contrast, the most recent Pay Circular<\/a> shows that an ST1 banded 40% is paid \u00a342,000 a year. Similarly, only half the patients I spoke to realised that a \u201cjunior\u201d doctor was everyone below consultant level.<\/p>\n

With such mixed support and varied awareness of the details of the dispute, I wonder if the BMA\u2019s campaign message is reaching the right patients. Social media has been at its core: indeed, talk of the doctors\u2019 strike has been driving the political conversation on Twitter in the UK, attracting more tweets than even the EU referendum<\/a>. But only 6% of those aged 65<\/a> and over use Twitter. And, not only are elderly patients the biggest users of NHS services, they are also the most likely to vote in the general election. 75% of over-65s vote<\/a>, compared to only half of 18-35-year-olds. This is a politically powerful bloc whose silence does not mean assent. Elderly patients have the most to lose from a protracted strike. How long will we hear messages of support from patients whose elective hip and knee operations have been cancelled for the third or fourth time?<\/p>\n

One gentleman\u2019s words, a 72-year-old retired counsellor, stuck with me: “It’s all rather disappointing. Both sides need to be grown up in this dispute and seek resolution. I think junior doctors do a fantastic job but these [withdrawal of emergency cover] strikes may damage their standing with the public.” We ignore them at our peril.<\/p>\n

Patient consent<\/strong> obtained.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Competing interests:<\/strong> none declared.<\/em><\/p>\n

Joseph O’Keeffe<\/strong> is a graduate medical student at the University of Leicester. Prior to medical school, he worked in primary care process improvement and finance. Follow Joseph on Twitter @JOCaoihm<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Junior doctors are arguing that the contract changes compromise patient safety. I agree. But do those we treat? It\u2019s hard to tell. Social media appears dominated by the junior doctors, whereas the newspapers and the broadcasters merely present a succession of politicians and \u201cexperts.\u201d The patient\u2019s voice seems lost amidst the acrimony between the Department […]<\/p>\n

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