Kemi Badenoch has said she will ban doctors from striking. Yesterday, asked if he would do the same, Health Secretary Wes Streeting refused to rule it out. The police aren’t allowed to strike and nor is the military. Why should doctors be different? 

The junior doctors are now on day four of their six-day strike; I have lost track of which number strike this is. Since I’m doing 13-hour days covering for them and have worked through Easter, I’ve also lost track of what day it is and fervently wish the legislation to ban the strikes was already in place. I’m being paid well above my normal rates, and my part of the hospital is running smoothly. I deal only with emergencies, so am one step removed from the costs of cancelled clinics and operations. A hospital where consultants are doing a greater share of the work runs at a distinct advantage – as you’d hope, given how much more we cost.

Streeting has been reasonable about pay; the juniors have not

Streeting has been reasonable about pay; the juniors have not

Whether doctors should be allowed to strike depends largely on which side you distrust more. Historically, that’s been politicians, not medics. At the moment, the public is fed up with........

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