Their fight is everyone’s fight. We explain why. It affects you too.

 The Government is threatening the future of the NHS  They want to remove safety measures that stop junior doctors from working excessive hours  This contract which they are forcing on junior doctors will threaten the quality of care patients receive  Junior doctors don’t want to strike, but we are worried about our safety and thus your safety. The Government has left us with no alternative

 To become a GP or a hospital consultant takes years. During that training period, we are referred to as junior doctors.  Most of us are in our late 20s and 30s and we are fully qualified doctors.  We are the backbone of the NHS – without us, hospitals could not cope. We are often the first doctor you see when you go to hospital.  We are the next generation of doctors.  But like you, many of us are also parents and carers. We have families too. We too have to juggle our professional lives with looking after a family.

 There are 53,000 junior doctors in England  Junior doctors already work 7 days a week  Every week, the NHS treats over 4 million patients  Junior doctors care for patients in hospitals 365 days a year

 Junior doctors are angry at the way in which the Government is ignoring the genuine concerns we are raising about patient safety and doctors’ wellbeing  Junior doctors believe that the Government’s plans will harm the next generation of doctors – and the future of the NHS itself – and that means the care you get too.  Nothing the Government has said has given us any hope that they are prepared to negotiate properly and listen to our concerns.

 It’s a last resort – but we genuinely feel we have no choice. Working excessive hours will result in exhausted doctors. Exhausted doctors will end up making mistakes and that will affect you.  We don’t want to work in an NHS which puts both us and you at risk.  Many junior doctors are already at breaking point. Many are looking to work abroad (where there are better conditions). Others are leaving the medical profession altogether.  We don’t want to do this. But if things don’t change, some of us will. And that will mean the NHS will be understaffed and even more at risk.

 We want to negotiate a contract that is fair for doctors, safe for patients and provides a positive future for the NHS  We want the Government to remove the threat to impose a new, unnegotiated contract on us  We want a contract which: ◦ pays us fairly for the hours we work ◦ ensures that the hours we work are safe ◦ provides cover at weekend and night, but recognizes our right to family life ◦ doesn’t disadvantage those doctors who work less than full time or want parental leave

 Signing the online petition now – it’s very easy  You can even do it on your mobile phone whilst you’re waiting here.  Type the following words into Google ◦ 38 degrees value junior doctors ◦ Then click on the first link ◦ Sign the petition by simply entering your name, and postcode  Alternatively, write to your local MP.

Aneurin Bevan, 1948 The founder of the NHS