Junior doctors are taking part in strike action today to after contract talks broke down between the government and the British Medical Association.
Sophie Connor (main image, centre) is a 26-year-old junior doctor working at Salford Royal.
Sophie went to school in Irlam and Cadishead and now lives in Walkden.
After studying at Pendleton College, she’s now 12 months into a two-year Core Medical Training programme.
Before that, she spent two years as a foundation doctor.
Speaking from the picket line outside the Eccles Old Road entrance of Salford Royal, while drivers beeped their support, she told SalfordOnline.com why she’s taking part in the first junior doctors strike in 40 years.
“I’m concerned that the contracts the government want to put us on are not safe for us and they’re not safe for patients,” she said.
“They want to take away the monitoring safeguards for our rota so that trusts can’t be penalised if we work unsafe hours.”
Patients at Salford Royal are being told to keep their appointments as planned despite the industrial action.
In a statement the hospital Trust said: “If you have not been contacted by the Trust, your appointment will be going ahead as scheduled.
“Some services, in particular the Emergency Department, may be under increased pressure during the period of industrial action and everyone is asked to only attend A&E if it is a serious or life-threatening condition.”
By Rob Siddall Photography
This week Sophie will work a “fairly standard” 60-70 hours.
“I’m down to do nine-hour shifts on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then off on Thursday, then I’ve got three 13-hour shifts in a row Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Those are the tough ones, when you’ve had no sleep the night before.
“I’m contracted to work 8.30am to 5pm but every time, you always end up staying on, you can’t just leave people when you’ve been treating them.
“I’m very disappointed with the way [Health Secretary] Jeremy Hunt has handled this, with the lies being spun through the media.”
Sophie actually went to university with one of the junior doctors slandered in press articles trying to portray workers as living ‘luxury’ lifestyles.
The Sun on Sunday trawled social media profiles of campaigners to find pictures of the ‘#MoetMedics’ enjoying “a string of luxury holidays”.
Dr Stuart Stewart, 27, was plastered over the Sun in a picture of him on a beach in front of a helicopter with a glass of champagne in hand.
“I know Stuart from when we were at the University of Manchester together, and he was very upset by the picture,” says Sophie.
“He was on his elective – which all junior doctors have to do – in Australia and the person who sponsored his trip out there bought him a 30-minute helicopter ride to say thank you for all his hard work.
“The BMA have been trying to negotiate these contracts for well over a year.”
Across England 45,000 juniors doctor are taking part in the strike action.
24 hours of strike action today will be followed by 48-hour/two-day strike from 8am on 26 January, and a nine-hour withdrawal of labour from 8am to 5pm on 10 February.
Does she think junior doctors have the public’s backing?
I think they want to support us. I think a lot of people understand the hard work we put in.
“If this was about money, then I could understand the government’s opposition to these contracts.
“But we want the NHS to stay public and to stay free for people.
“To be honest patients have brought it up, not me, while I’ve been working on the wards. It’s nice to be thanked at 3 in the morning when you’ve already been on for 12 hours and had no sleep.
“Salford is a very mixed and quite deprived area – can you imagine how many people wouldn’t be able to come in and get treated if they had to pay?”
Main image by Rob Siddall Photography
