Doctors face a devastating workforce crisis with 30,000 applicants competing for just 10,000 training positions, forcing thousands of UK-trained physicians abroad or out of medicine entirely. Despite nearlylast 30%year's pay increases over three yearsdeal, real wages remain 20% below 2008 levels, creating an unsustainable retention crisis. The government's token offer of 2,000 extra jobs over three years is woefully inadequate and represents a deliberate choice to let the NHS collapse.
Doctors demanding a staggeringfurther 29% pay rise after already receiving significant wage increases over three years are engaging in reckless posturing that harms patients. The country faces dire fiscal constraints with no money available for such excessive demands, basedwith onthese flawedstrikes inflationselfishly measures. These strikes divert critical resources away from rebuilding the NHS and demonstrate unreasonable positioning that warrants minimum service level requirements.
There is a 3% chance that resident doctors in England will receive a further pay increase before 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
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