Junior doctors make up nearly half of medics at York trust

Figures from NHS England show there were the equivalent of 402 full-time junior doctors working at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as of December – almost half of the 881 doctors working at the trust.

This week, junior doctors are striking over poor pay and working conditions – with the British Medical Association, a union for medical professionals, saying junior doctors have suffered a 26 per cent real-terms cut to their pay since 2008/09.

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A spokesperson for the York trust said the strikes have come at a time when high levels of staff are already on leave due to school Easter holidays.

The spokesperson said: "Locally, our junior doctors make up 49 per cent of our medical workforce and as such the strike action will have a significant impact. This is four days of strikes coming immediately after a four-day bank holiday weekend. The days leading into and immediately after bank holiday weekends are already challenging for the NHS.

"Urgent and emergency treatment remains our priority and patients can continue to access care from our emergency departments, maternity services and critical services for inpatients.

Junior doctors strike outside York Hospital in March (Image: Brian McGregor/Twitter)

“It is even more important people choose services wisely over this period so that care is available to patients who need it most. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and continuing to only use 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency. 

“GP practices will continue to be open during the junior doctors’ strike and pharmacists can also help and are experts in medicines for minor health concerns. They can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for a range of minor illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, tummy trouble and aches and pains. 

“We will contact patients if their appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action, either by text or phone. If you have not been contacted, please attend your appointment as planned.”

Across England there were 66,000 junior doctors working for hospital and community health services as of December 2022, making up 49.9 per cent of all clinicians.

Any doctor below consultant level is referred to as 'junior', meaning junior doctors encompass doctors just starting in the NHS and those who have been training for many years for specialist positions.

They receive a wide range of salaries, with 'Foundation Year 1 doctors' – the most junior category – starting on £14.09 an hour, or around £29,000 a year.

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals Trust has 65 such doctors working at the trust at this point, alongside a further 34 second year foundation doctors.