"It is so important that the general public recognises that the problems within the NHS are the fault of politicians, not hard-working NHS staff"
As an unprecedented six-day doctors’ strike began in England today, there are warnings that the health service faces massive disruption, with the walkout predicted to be the most difficult to manage yet.
It has led to Tory MPs and right-wing media outlets coming out to accuse NHS doctors involved in strike action as being ‘unethical’ in their actions, but former NHS doctor and campaigner Dr Julia Patterson has hit back as NHS staff face being scapegoated for failings of the Government’s own making.
Managing tough working conditions is not a new phenomenon for NHS staff, Dr Patterson emphasised to LFF, as she highlighted who was really to blame for the ongoing problems facing our national health system.
“NHS staff have endured worsening working conditions for many years now,” stressed Dr Patterson. “As things deteriorate within the service due to lack of action from politicians, their work becomes more difficult and stressful.”
Dr Julia Patterson, Chief Executive of EveryDoctor an organisation campaigning to save the NHS, told LFF that NHS staff were often scapegoated for problems faced in the health service, and the importance of counter-acting that narrative.
For example, Sir Liam Fox, Tory MP for North Somerset today said on X that, “As a former NHS doctor, it makes me sad and angry to see doctors involved in action which I believe to be unethical and unforgivable, given the harm being done to patients and the NHS itself.”
Patterson said: “Politicians have failed to take action to fix the NHS repair bill (which now stands at almost £12 billion in England alone), have failed to invest into the service sufficiently to ensure there is adequate capacity to care for patients safely, and have eroded NHS staff pay significantly since 2010.
“These staff members have endured all of this, and are often also scapegoated for the problems within the NHS (which they have not caused).”
She added: “It is so important that the general public recognises that the problems within the NHS are the fault of politicians, not hard-working NHS staff who are doing everything they can to keep every patient safe.”
During the strike action, junior doctors have been sharing their stories working in an underfunded system, struggling to cope with excessive workloads in ‘dire’ conditions, emphasising that their strike action is about being valued and recognised for the work they do.
The BMA union representing striking junior doctors remain strong in their resolve to gain a pay restoration, having experienced a 26% real terms cut to their salaries since 2008/09, but have further stressed that it’s also a fight for the future of the NHS.
Hannah Davenport is news reporter at Left Foot Forward, focusing on trade unions and environmental issues
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