Resident doctors 'want pay we think we're worth'

Resident doctors 'want pay we think we're worth'6 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleEmma Thomas,in BirminghamandAndrew Dawkins,West MidlandsBBCAction took place at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham site on TuesdayA union resident doctor committee says "pay back to the value that we think we're worth" is being sought, as a six-day strike is held in England.The resident doctor strike is likely to cause significant disruption to services, with those formerly called junior doctors making up nearly half of the medical workforce in the NHS.British Medical Association (BMA) West Midlands resident doctor committee co-chair Dr Peter Fahey said a narrative that "doctors are really well paid, we play golf (a) couple of times a week" was "absolutely not true". Health Secretary Wes Streeting said 95% of appointments were in place and apologised to those affected by cancellations, saying they "deserve better".The NHS is urging patients not to put off seeking help if needed, saying those with emergency and urgent needs should use 999 and 111 as normal.Those who have planned appointments and treatments scheduled should attend unless they are told otherwise. GP services are largely unaffected.The walkout by BMA members comes after talks between the government and the union broke down last month.Speaking at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham site, Dr Fahey said: "We're still almost 20% down in real terms in our pay since 2008. "While we've made some good progress up until this point, we want that pay restored back to the value that we think we're worth." Dr Peter Fahey said "all we're asking for is to be paid what we were before"The committee co-chair added that in terms of jobs there were "thousands of doctors applying for training posts like myself"."I'm a GP trainee, training to be a fully qualified GP. Lots of doctors, they want to be...