What do these placards say about me?
“The placards say I’m fed up with the spin around the issue, from weekend mortality rates based on flawed data to the government’s concept of overtime. We just want a safe working environment and to ensure good, continuous care for patients.” [See below for more of Reena’s views…]
And what they really say
It’s amazing what an accessory can do. Without her placards, Reena could be many things. A teacher, a journalist, a train driver, a council worker, a high-ranking police officer. She has a lanyard, so she works in an institution. That’s the only clue. But there’s nothing about her appearance that says “look at me” or that intentionally draws attention or pulls rank.
But then isn’t that what doctors are like? They move within the world, living like everyone else, cursing late buses, hoping the rain will stop. Until they’re needed, when they step into the centre of whatever panicky, death-beckoning crisis situation has arisen and use their skills to save people’s lives. And they don’t even put on a superhero outfit to do it.
Reena doesn’t look like she’s a regular placard-brandisher. Nor even a regular placard-maker. She needs brighter Sharpies and bigger pieces of cardboard. She needs to look crosser. But then those who come out on strike through desperation rather than agitation haven’t learned the regulars’ down-with-everything rhetoric or the anti-copper glare.
Obviously Reena is serious: about her job, about the threat to her job, about conditions for patients and her colleagues. She wouldn’t be striking if she wasn’t. But like many people who are serious about their job, she chooses to smile, too.
Reena explained that the word “spin” is a reference to the misinformation about junior doctors’ overtime. She said 12- and 13-hour days are not uncommon, 12 days in a row. Her fellow junior doctors were balloted by the BMA about the strike: 70% responded, of whom 98% said they should strike. What Reena’s placards – and her lanyard – say is: “I am not alone.”
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Reena adds “There’s a lot of public support for junior doctors, but also a lot of confusion. David Cameron says that stroke victims are 20% more likely to die if they’re admitted into hospital over the weekend. This is wrong – people with milder strokes may delay their admission to hospital over the weekend, while those with severe strokes still come in, and because they’re sicker they have a greater chance of dying. This would be the same on any day of the week.
There is the same number of junior doctors on emergency care at the weekend as during the week. To bring in routine services at the weekend, you need investment for all the support staff that is necessary for a big institution to run. That isn’t being talked about.
The government and media keep saying our strike is all about pay, but it’s about making sure that working patterns are safe, and that doctors can provide good, continuous care. A tired doctor can make a fatal mistake.
It’s really sad that we have to strike, but it’s the only thing left in our armament. Junior doctors aren’t just 20-somethings straight out of university, they’re also people who have families and financial responsibilities. Hopefully there will be a resolution soon.”
