I"m a hospital consultant and I worry about five-day junior doctor strikes

I am worried. Nothing new, you might say, for a consultant working in acute medicine at a busy district general hospital. This time it is not about the acutely unwell patient in front of me but about the announcement by the British Medical Association junior doctor committee (BMA JDC) that junior doctors in England may take part in more industrial strike action. Five days a month of rolling strikes during which there will be withdrawal of all cover from 8am-5pm. These are planned to happen from October onwards unless the government stops the imposition of the junior doctor contract.

As well as being worried I am puzzled. Back in May 2016 the JDC recommended to its members that they accept the new contract, the now leader of the JDC saying at the time it was safe for patients and junior doctors. Despite this the contract was rejected by the membership due to ongoing concerns about weekend pay and people who work part-time. The membership and the rest of us have been waiting to see what would happen next. Junior doctors tell me they do not even know what would need to change within the contract for the BMA JDC to be happy with it. This is surely a damning insight into the BMA’s lack of communication and leadership at such a critical time.

Then the announcement of the longest and most severe set of strikes the NHS has experienced are announced. They appear to be completely out of proportion to the issues that the BMA JDC and its membership still have with the contract. It is not even the whole contract they want rewriting, but elements of it. Despite that, NHS trusts will have to cancel elective procedures, outpatient appointments and draw up emergency rotas if the strikes go ahead. While the BMA has issues with the employer and the employment contract, it will inevitably be the staff and patients caught in the middle of the strikes who will suffer the most.

I am worried about my junior doctor colleagues, many of whom are starting to lose faith in their trade union, the BMA, but fear repercussions if they voice these concerns. They tell me they cannot see how a full strike will help them. They are stressed as they realise the impact of such strike action. They are battling with ethical and moral dilemmas with many not knowing what to do for the best. Some will lose money during the strike making it hard for them and their families financially. Is this really what the BMA JDC intended? There may be a BMA hardship fund for those junior doctors worst affected but there is no hardship fund to support the staff left behind with added stress and work to contend with at an already busy time of year. I feel the BMA JDC have convinced the membership that the issues of NHS under funding, seven-day services etc can be all put together into the justification for the proposed strike.

Many junior doctors tell me they do not want to strike this time – they are in a profession that cares for patients and they fear harm will come to patients during a full and protracted strike. Did any of the voting that junior doctors took part in earlier this year really give the BMA JDC the mandate for these current proposed strikes?

While other NHS staff will provide all the cover and care they can for patients during the strikes, it is clear that patient harm is a real and valid concern. Junior doctors also feel their training could be extended if they miss more than 14 days of work in a year, which is a possibility. What damage is being done to the profession in the public’s eyes? Public support for junior doctors feels as if it is a surrogate for public distrust of the government. The medical profession is one of the most trusted professions but with industrial action planned, the public support will not last forever.

In every strand of this I worry about the patients who will be unduly affected by this strike. They did not ask for this, they have no contract of employment to negotiate; they simply want to be cared for by the NHS.

If you would like to write a blogpost for Views from the NHS frontline, read our guidelines and get in touch by emailing sarah.johnson@theguardian.com.

Join the Healthcare Professionals Network to read more pieces like this. And follow us on Twitter (@GdnHealthcare) to keep up with the latest healthcare news and views.

I"m a hospital consultant and I worry about five-day junior doctor strikes