VIDEO: Junior doctors strike at Chesterfield Royal

Junior doctors from Chesterfield Royal Hospital went out on strike this morning on the first day of a planned two-day walk out.
Junior doctors strike at Chesterfield Royal HospitalJunior doctors strike at Chesterfield Royal Hospital
Junior doctors strike at Chesterfield Royal Hospital

Around 30 doctors and their supporters were on the picket line at 10am, cheering as supportive motorists beeped their horns.

The doctors won’t work between the hours of 8am and 5pm today and tomorrow - with hospitals having to cancel many appointments and draft in additional cover as a result.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The strike is in protest at the imposition of a new contract by the government which aims to create a so-called ‘seven-day NHS’.

Junior doctors strike at Chesterfield Royal HospitalJunior doctors strike at Chesterfield Royal Hospital
Junior doctors strike at Chesterfield Royal Hospital

Junior doctor, Holly O’Nione, 25, said: “There are so many different things this strike is about.

“It is not just about the minutiae of contract details or pay like Jeremy Hunt would have you believe - it is about whether we can provide a safe NHS.

“You have 54,000 junior doctors standing up to the government and saying you cannot impose this contract because we are worried about the future of it.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Patient, Jennifer Acons, 45, who was there for an outpatient appointment, backed the doctors’ actions.

Junior doctors strike at Chesterfield Royal HospitalJunior doctors strike at Chesterfield Royal Hospital
Junior doctors strike at Chesterfield Royal Hospital

She said: “I absolutely support them. My appointment is going ahead as planned but I understand it must be frustrating for people who have cancellations.

“However, if it is for patient safety then that is the greater good.”