Tens of thousands of junior doctors in England have begun a four-day strike over pay this morning, which the NHS says is “the most extensive action on record”.
After already staging three days of industrial action last month, junior doctors – who are qualified doctors that have anywhere from three to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor or GP – have decided to take things one step further by walking out from 7am today until the morning of Saturday 15 April.
As junior doctors make up around half of all doctors working in the NHS, the health service says it’s expecting to see “unprecedented disruption”, and that the strikes could even be considered the “most disruptive” in NHS history.
It’s believed that up to 350,000 appointments could be cancelled this week.
Around 47,600 junior doctors, who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA), are to walk out as part of a worsening pay dispute with the government.
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Today junior doctors in England begin their 2nd round of strike action for #PayRestoration
The BMA says junior doctors in England have had a 26% real-terms pay cut since 2008-09 as pay rises have been below inflation, which is why it has asked the government for a full pay restoration amounting to a 35% pay rise – but ministers have previously said that this is “unaffordable”.
With widespread disruption to services is expected this week, the NHS says it wants to make sure that safe care continues to be available for those in life-threatening situations, and will do so by prioritise emergency and urgent care over some routine appointments and procedures.
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Appointments and operations will only be cancelled “where unavoidable”, according to the NHS, and patients will be offered an alternative date “as soon as possible”.
Up to 350,000 appointments could be cancelled as junior doctors begin four-day strike / Credit: BMA (via Twitter)
“The NHS has been preparing extensively for these strikes,” explained Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England.
“But managing additional pressure doesn’t get easier as time goes by, it gets much more difficult – not only due to the sheer number of appointments that need to be rescheduled, but also that they can take time to rearrange with multiple teams involved.”
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He admitted that the junior doctor walkouts are set to be “the most disruptive industrial action in NHS history”, and confirmed that emergency, urgent, and critical care will be prioritised.
The NHS has said that people who need care must only use 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies, and use NHS 111 online and other services, such as pharmacies and GPs, for non-urgent health needs as they remain “largely unaffected” by the strikes.
Featured Image – BMA
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‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Emily Sergeant -
11th April 2023 
