More than half of the British public back the junior doctors’ strikes, new polling suggests. A poll conducted by the firm Ipsos has found that 54% of people back the industrial action set to take place this week. Junior doctors who are part of the British Medical Association (BMA) first walked out on strike for three days in March, and a second 96-hour-long strike is set to take place on Tuesday morning. The junior doctors are demanding a pay deal which addresses a 26% fall in the real-terms value of their pay since 2008. The Government has expressed its dismay at the strikes, while senior figures including the NHS Confederation’s chief executive Matthew Taylor have called on both sides to end their “battle of rhetoric” and call in independent arbitrators ACAS. In the North East, hospital bosses have warned that the coming strike action – running hot on the heels of the Bank Holiday weekend – is likely to cause extensive disruption and be a “different kettle of fish” to previous strikes. This is thought to be as less senior medics are available to cover for their colleagues due to the holiday period, reported Chronicle Live. During the first wave … Continue reading More than half of the British public support junior doctors going on strike, new poll suggests