WE, the GPs of Dorset, support the junior doctors. This is a crisis of Jeremy Hunt’s making. The existing contract works well and avoids making doctors work excessively long, and therefore dangerous, hours. In the bad old days many of us worked 80-100 hours or more a week, every week, and were utterly exhausted.

This was because our overtime payments were a third of basic salary so it was much cheaper to keep one shattered doctor working than have three doing normal hours. The current contract keeps patients safe.

This crisis is entirely the government’s fault. It is not just about junior doctors. They are the symptom of the illness affecting the NHS. The disease is caused by underfunding and failure to invest to the European average for advanced countries. It is made worse by a parasitic infection that is the Private Finance Initiative – that sucks the life blood of the health service. If you value the NHS then it needs your support now. The government promised £8 billion during the election. So far they have given some while at the same time making cuts worth £22 billion. The phrase "giving with one hand and taking with the other" is an understatement!

We need public pressure on MPs to stop the cuts and restore funding. Bevan, the founder of the health service, spoke the truth when he said "The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it.”

We support the junior doctors in this fight.

Dr Jon Orrell (Royal Crescent Surgery) Dr Simon Flack (Talbot Medical Centre) Dr Mandy Fautley (Parkstone Health Centre) Drs Bettley-Smith (Madeira Medical Centre) Dr Lisa Nayler (Madeira Medical Centre) Dr Gerry Roberts (Madeira Medical Centre) Dr Jeremy Ramsden (Madeira Medical Centre) Dr Mandy Fautley (Parkstone Health Centre) Dr Sarah Dowling (Cross Road Surgery) Dr Hannah Pharaoh (Madeira Medical Centre) Dr Heather Farrar (Shelley Manor Medical Centre) Dr Alex Man (Cross Road Surgery) Dr Andrew Ward (Abbotsbury Road) Dr Adam Fraser (The Bridges Medical Centre) Dr Chris Nelson (Royal Crescent Surgery) Dr Lin Watson (Swanage Medical Centre) Dr Kerstin Smith (Denmark Road Medical Centre) Dr Fiona Ballinger (Adam Practice) Dr Mark Nelms (Carlisle House Medical Centre) Dr Thwe Oo (Evergreen Oak Surgery) Dr Peter Perkins (Southbourne Surgery) Dr Tim Blevins (Eagle House Surgery) Dr Carol Linnard (Alma Medical Centre) Dr Eilish Davoren (Bridport Medical Centre) Dr Julian Strauss (Pennys Hill Practice) Dr Lisa Nayler (Madeira Medical Centre) Dr Jon Echebarrieta (Poole Road Medical Centre) Dr Stephen Scott (Prince of Wales Surgery) Dr Claire Chambers (Gillingham Medical Centre) Dr Joanne Harvey (James Fisher Medical Centre) Dr Andrew Allen (Atrium Health Centre) Dr Rachael Stow (Wyke Regis Health Centre) Dr Sumit Aggarwal (Royal Manor Health Care) Dr Greg Miles (Apples Medical CTR) Dr Rowan Jones (Dorchester Road Surgery) Dr David Laird (Wyke Regis Health Centre) Dr Mark Every (Orchid House Surgery) Dr Emma Saunders (Adam Practice) Dr Mark Deverell (Old Dispensary) Dr Alison Laird (Wyke Regis Health Centre) Dr Sue Beckers (Littlehurst Surgery) Dr Chris Burnham (Puddletown Surgery) Dr Geoff Lewis (Gillingham Medical Centre) Dr Srobona Goswami (Westbourne Medical Centre) Dr Piers Wilde (Moordown Medical Centre) Dr Stuart Dague (Farmhouse Surgery) Dr Paul Mason (Royal Manor Health Care) Dr Hilary Clark (Poole Town Surgery) Dr Chris Millner (Prince of Wales Surgery) Dr Janet Barlow (Wool Surgery) Dr Wayne Knight (Dorchester Road Surgery) Dr Katrina Heatley (St Albans Medical Centre) Dr Phillip Atkinson (Canford Heath Group Practice) Dr Gordon Turner (Leybourne Surgery) Dr Keera Rowland (Woodlea House Surgery) Dr Hugh Priestley (Abbotsbury Road) Dr Jonathan Snell (Lilliput Surgery) Dr Amy Hills (The Bridges Medical Centre) Dr Iain Fullerton (Herbert Avenue Surgery) Dr Susie Morris (Royal Manor Health Care) Dr Maya Peaty (Talbot Medical Centre) Dr Rebecca Carron (Adam Practice) Dr John Stephens (Harvey Practice) Dr Iain Fullerton (Herbert Avenue Surgery) Dr Simon Flack (Talbot Medical Centre) Dr Rebecca Carron (Adam Practice) Dr Emma Evans (Rosemary Medical Centre) Dr Aurelia Butcher Dr. Rene Skule (Quarterjack Surgery) Dr Andrew Polkinghorn (Verwood Surgery) Dr Veronica Ward Dr Mark Nankervis Dr Peter Hewitt (Abbotsbury Road Surgery) Dr Felicity Quick (Prince of Wales Surgery) Dr Claire Brooks (Stour surgery)