Five-day strike by doctors under way

RESIDENT doctors returned to picket lines outside the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle yesterday in a strike over jobs and pay.

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‘Ihe strike by the British Medical Association is set to see resident doctors taking action for five days from yesterday to Wednesday morning.

North East NHS bosses warned that the strike comes at a time of rising winter flu cases and could see patient care affected.

Resident doctor Sheryl Higham, deputy chair of the northern committee, was on the picket line yesterday and said the Government “needs to invest better in doctors for the future of NHS and patients”

She said: “The job situation particularly is really untenable for resident doctors currently. Last year there were 30,000 doctors applying for only 10,000 training places.