As the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that he would be unilaterally imposing a new contract on junior doctors without their agreement, one medic working at the biggest teaching hospital in Europe has revealed what it's really like on the frontline of the NHS.
Rich Bowman, 27, has detailed in an emotional Facebook post the extraordinary work carried out by thousands of junior doctors every day - and the enormous pressure they face, despite grueling conditions.
He works 60 hours a week in an NHS hospital in Birmingam, and says that for the 48 hours he is actually paid for, he earns £18/hour.
Yet, he says, the message being given by the British Government is that he has "no transferable skills", is "overpaid", "lacks vocation" and "must work harder".
He writes: "Last night I was the sole doctor on site caring for over 100 patients who were acutely unwell with complications from their cancer.
"Some couldn't breathe, some were fighting overwhelming infections with literally no immune system, one had bleeding in their head, one had a blockage in their bowels.
"If I made a mistake because I was tired, any one of these patients could've died.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/junior-doctors-contract-jeremy-hunt-nhs-medic-reveals-why-junior-doctors-are-so-angry-a6867246.html