New junior doctors contracts will lead to dangerously understaffed wards, a Huddersfield medic has warned as she prepares to join thousands of fellow doctors in strike action.
Thousands of junior doctors are set to walk out of hospitals across England after negotiations with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt broke down on Monday.
Junior doctors will refuse to work in all but emergency services at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and Calderdale Royal Hospital, Halifax, for 24 hours on January 12 and for 48 hours from 8am on January 26.
And they will walk out of all departments from 8am to 5pm on February 10.
Birkby-based junior doctor Henna Anwar says the new contracts, which change junior medics’ regular working hours, will discourage trainees from continuing their studies and lead to dangerous staff shortages on hospital wards.
READ MORE:Our A&E will be safe during junior doctors' strike, say Huddersfield and Calderdale health chiefs
Dr Anwar, who works at Calderdale Royal Hospital, said: “I think we have to strike. It’s sad because we didn’t want it to come to that.
“People are not applying for further training and it will lead to vacant positions.
“There’s already gaps in the rotas because there aren’t enough doctors... I know there’s going to be more gaps in the rotas
Dr Anwar added: “I don’t know if striking with fix anything but we want to show Jeremy Hunt that we are serious.”
Picket lines are expected to be organised by doctors’ union the BMA outside both hospitals during the three strikes.
BMA chairman Mark Porter said it “remains possible” that action could be called off but insisted the Government would have to go “further” than it has so far.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “The Government is, understandably, putting round the fact that agreement is almost there.
“It’s almost there in their mind but not in the minds of junior doctors.”
He added: “An 11% pay increase doesn’t compensate when you take away a 31% average payment for working the unsocial hours. Anybody can do the maths on that.”
Local junior doctors had spoken of their ‘relief’ after strikes were called off last month in favour of more talks with the Health Secretary.
But the latest round of talks broke down after less than an hour, Mr Hunt said.
He told the Radio 4 Today Programme: “There were 16 areas the BMA wanted to talk about.
“On Christmas Eve, they sent a message to their members saying there were two outstanding ones.
“Yesterday we met and we thought we had a solution to one of them and we were prepared to negotiate on the final one but the talks lasted less than an hour and they walked out and started the strikes going.”
