Letter protesting changes to the junior doctor contract in England in 2016

Made:
2016 in United Kingdom

18 metre long letter protesting the changes to the junior doctor contract, written by Dr Katy Shorttle and signed by over 3500 healthcare professionals during a London march on 6 February 2016, contributions through social media and email, and during the letter’s presentation to the Department of Health on 24 February 2016

During a march in February 2016 in London, doctors, and health professionals signed Dr Katy Shorttle’s letter to then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt protesting a new contract for junior doctors. The letter starts by saying “The NHS is currently running a 7-day emergency cover service and a 5 day routine cover service. We believe that in its current state, the NHS is stretched often beyond the limits of what it can provide. Unprecedented demands on the NHS have significantly impacted patients and staff in primary care.” The letter also detailed their concerns over the safety and fairness of the new contract and included statistics on recruitment and retention of staff.

In the views of the signatories: “The safest option to maintain a functioning NHS that meets the needs of everyone, that remains free at the point of delivery and that it is based on clinical need not ability to pay, is to retain its workforce rather than demoralise and undermine it. The safest option is to optimised routine weekday services and emergency 7-day service in a focused, needs based approach, rather than a blanket option to increase junior doctor cover over the weekend.” The letter cites an example of where deaths following a stroke were reduced through a focused approach.

On 24 February 2016, junior doctors delivered their protest letter with 50,000 signatures to the Prime Minister. The letter was also turned into a giant billboard in Kennington to raise awareness about the issues and featured on news bulletins. A Twitter campaign also highligted many junior doctors and their colleagues already working weekends and unsociable hours.

Negotiations over the contract broke down several times and led to junior doctor strikes in January and February 2016. On 26 April 2016, for the first time, some junior doctors withdrew from emergency and routine care. Eventually, the government imposed a compromise from October 2016 and terms were renegotiated in July 2019.

Details

Category:
Public Health & Hygiene
Object Number:
2021-1623
Materials:
cotton (textile), polyester and ink
Measurements:
overall: 16085 mm x 1220 mm
type:
sign