A militant leader of England’s junior doctors has gone on holiday – just as his colleagues launched the most disruptive strike in NHS history, the Mail can reveal.
Dr. Robert Laurenson played a key role in plotting the devastating 96 Hour industrial action.
But as the strike started at 7am yesterday, he was absent as he had already booked time off to attend a friend’s wedding.
While colleagues will lose money for participating in the action, it is believed that Dr. Laurenson has taken annual leave and that he will not be punished.
Up to 47,600 doctors below the rank of consultant have thrown the health service into chaos with the strike.
Dr. Robert Laurenson (pictured: right) played a key role in plotting the devastating 96-hour industrial action
Up to 47,600 doctors below the rank of consultant have thrown the health service into chaos with the strike
They refuse to cover all services, including A&E and cancer care, as they are seeking a 35 per cent pay rise, worth up to £20,000.
Health bosses warn that the strike is putting lives at risk and say it will take weeks to reschedule the 350,000 appointments and surgeries likely to be postponed.
The British Medical Association website tells young doctors they will lose their pay if they don’t show up on strike days when they’re on shift.
It acknowledges that losing wages will be “difficult,” but encourages members to join the walkout anyway, saying, “If we don’t fight to defend our wages now, we’d be a lot more in the future.” can lose more.’
However, it also stresses that doctors ‘should’ be paid if they have booked the time off as holidays and notes that they ‘should not be called upon’ to work during annual leave.
Dr. Laurenson, 28, is co-chair of the British Medical Association’s junior doctor committee, which favors strikes and has refused to exempt emergency rooms from the action.
The GP-in-training, who is also a director of his parents’ multimillion-dollar investment company, was one of the BMA delegates at pay talks with Health Secretary Steve Barclay last month.
Talks broke down within half an hour, with Whitehall sources saying the union was ‘intending to fight’ and refusing to give in to demands for a 35 per cent increase.
A BMA spokesperson said last night: “Dr. Laurenson is off this week to fulfill a long-standing commitment to attend a family friend’s wedding. He remains actively involved in the preparation of the dispute and we expect him to do some media work.’
The BMA yesterday threatened further action if ministers do not agree to its demands. Dr. Vivek Trivedi, the other co-chair of the BMA junior doctors committee, said: ‘Strikes are by their nature meant to be disruptive, to put pressure on the government to come to the table.’
British Medical Association website tells young doctors they will lose their pay if they don’t show up on strike days when they are on shift
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director of the NHS in England, told Times Radio: ‘This is… probably the most disruptive period of action in the history of the NHS.
‘Our focus has been on providing cover for absentee doctors in training – they make up half of the medical workforce.
“The staff who provide cover can’t be in two places at the same time, so that means inconvenience and cancellations, I’m afraid.”
Asked for comments that the strike will cause disruption for at least a month, he said: “It will certainly be weeks. This will cause unprecedented disruption.’
NHS Providers’ Miriam Deakin, representing trusts, said: ‘Keeping patients as safe as possible – trusts’ first priority – will be even more difficult than with previous strikes, so it’s all hands on deck.
“Trust leaders are concerned about adequate coverage for night shifts. This is going to be a very long, difficult week for the NHS.’ Managers are finding it more difficult to find cover than before as many consultants have taken time off for the Easter break.
Mr Barclay said he deeply regretted the timing of the post-Easter holiday strikes. He also regretted that the BMA had asked members not to tell NHS managers ‘whether they intended to strike or not – which complicates emergency planning – and also their refusal to agree on national exemptions’.
He added: “We are willing to have discussions, but it is clear that a 35 percent requirement is not fair or reasonable.”
Yesterday, hundreds of doctors marched past Downing Street and Parliament after a rally in central London. The strikes will last until Saturday morning.