Consultants' strike: Oxford doctors warn of NHS exodus

Senior medical staff are "burnt out" and leaving the NHS, striking consultants in Oxford have warned.

Thousands of consultants across England began a 48-hour walkout at 07:00 BST on Thursday in their dispute over pay.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust said some routine and non-urgent work has been put on hold and warned of longer waits and A&E.

The government said it had accepted the recommendations of the independent pay review for a 6% pay rise this year.

Among those on the picket line at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, consultant anaesthetist Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini said moral among senior staff in the NHS was "really, really low".

"People are getting burnt out and they are thinking about their own mental health, their own physical health," she said.

"They are going to Canada, Australia, New Zealand - other countries where the pay and working conditions are much better.

"So we need to be able to keep people in the NHS, and that includes the consultants."

It is the first time the consultants have taken part in strike action since 2012.

Only emergency care and a small amount of routine work - so-called Christmas Day cover - will be provided.

It comes two days after a five-day walkout by junior doctors came to an end on Tuesday.

Consultant psychiatrist Andrew Molodynski said he had cancelled and rescheduled five patients "with deep regret".

He said: "For me that is sad and there is disruption, but I'm confident from my action there is no harm.

"And from our general action, we've worked as hard as we possibly can to make sure hospitals are safe and people who need emergency care should come and get it."

Health Secretary Steve Barclay urged the profession to end the dispute.

He said the government had listened to their concerns, by increasing the amount that can be paid directly into pension pots tax-free, as well as accepting the recommendations of the independent pay review body and giving consultants a 6% pay rise this year.

He stressed it was the government's "final offer", adding: "It is now time to put patients first."

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