Colchester junior doctor warns of NHS brain drain as strikes hit again

The three-day strike, which started across the UK at 7am on Wednesday, will run until the same time on Saturday with thousands of routine procedures and appointments facing postponement as a result.

The British Medical Association (BMA), the trade union which represents junior doctors, is demanding a pay increase of 35 per cent.

The offer of a five per cent increase in pay was rejected by the union last month, and on Wednesday doctors across all departments walked out as they look to put pressure on the government to make an improved offer.

Round three – it is the third time junior doctors have walked out this year due to the pay dispute (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)

One Colchester Hospital junior doctor, who was on the picket line on Wednesday morning, said the real-terms pay reduction of 26 per cent in the last 15 years means the NHS is losing its best doctors to the private sector as well as health services in New Zealand and Australia.

The junior doctor, who came to the UK after her parents left Afghanistan in 2005, said the long-term pay erosion leaves doctors questioning their commitment to the profession.

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She said: “In the UK, there’s one main health provider, and that’s the NHS.

“I love my work and I love being a doctor, but to be pushed to the limit, it does make you question if there is anything else I can do where I am more appreciated.

“There are adverts for vacancies in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand where there is better income and better packages.

Long term – junior doctors also went on strike in March (pictured) and April (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)

“It means people are leaving, which leads to more staffing issues and it’s going to mean retaining staff becomes impossible.”

When asked whether improved pay is going to combat levels of burnout amongst junior doctors, she said: “If we do get a pay restoration, it is an incentive and it shows the government care about the staff, and it also means we retain staff.

“It will be a catalyst for change.

“It’s not one thing that will change everything but it is a start that needs to happen.”