Paging Dr Hypocrisy: When Strikes Turn Into NHS Side Hustles

Junior doctors walk out, consultants cash in, and patients… wait. Welcome to the surreal game of NHS Musical Chairs.

Last Friday, while I was in A&E waiting for a relative who’d managed to slice their hand open trying to open a tin of tomato soup with all the delicacy of Edward Scissorhands on a caffeine bender, I overheard a doctor mutter, “This is my third twelve-hour shift this week… at triple time. Might finally afford a flat that isn’t decorated in black mould an…