NHS faces summer chaos as doctors announce five-day walkout
British Medical Association (BMA) bosses claimed they had 'no choice but to call strikes' after the Government had failed to make a 'credible offer' to 'restore pay'. More than 26,000 resident doctors voted in favour of strike action on Tuesday, while just under 3,000 voted against.
The medics have already taken industrial action 11 times since 2022, crippling services and forcing health bosses to cancel an estimated 1.5million appointments. They were offered a 5.4 per cent pay rise in May following a review of public sector pay. The increase, recommended by an independent pay review body, was above the rate of inflation, which jumped to 3.5 per cent in April, the highest since January 2024. But union leaders labelled the uplift an 'insult to doctors' and said a pay lift of 29.2 per cent was vital to reverse 'pay erosion' since 2008.
BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt today said: 'We met Wes Streeting (pictured) yesterday and made every attempt to avoid strike action by opening negotiations for pay restoration. Unfortunately, the Government has stated that it will not negotiate on pay, wanting to focus on non-pay elements without suggesting what these might be. Without a credible offer to keep us on the path to restore our pay, we have no choice but to call strikes. No doctor wants to strike, and these strikes don't have to go ahead. If Mr Streeting can seriously come to the table in the next two weeks we can ensure that no disruption is caused. The Government knows what is needed to avert strikes. The choice is theirs.'
He said: 'I wrote to the BMA this morning to offer to meet their committee and work with them to improve the working lives of resident doctors. Instead of talking, they've announced strikes. No trade union in British history has seen its members receive a 28.9 per cent pay rise only to immediately respond with strikes, and the majority of BMA resident doctors didn't vote to strike. This is completely unreasonable. The NHS recovery is hanging by a thread, and the BMA are threatening to pull it. The BMA should abandon their rush to strike and work with us to improve resident doctors working lives instead.'
A recent YouGov poll also found 48 per cent of Britons oppose resident doctors going on strike, while 39 per cent support them taking action. YouGov said this 'marks a shift in opinion' of public support of striking junior doctors last summer, when the majority of Britons—52 per cent—said they supported the action. The five day action also threatens to undermine Sir Keir Starmer's key ambition to cut waiting lists and could leave the government's new 10 Year Health Plan, unveiled last week, in tatters.
NHS bosses yesterday revealed they were dreading the prospect of the strikes, warning they would lead to tens, if not hundreds of thousands of operations and procedures being delayed or cancelled, 'leaving patients in pain or discomfort'. Hospital consultants, who are currently being balloted on strike action, have already threatened to join resident doctors on the picket lines, if they too vote in favour of action. Last September BMA resident doctor members voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3 per cent on average over two years.
The review of public sector pay in May also saw resident doctors given a 4 per cent uplift plus £750 'on a consolidated basis' - working out as an average pay rise of 5.4 per cent. The BMA call for a 29.2 per cent raise is based on Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, the measure of average changes in the price of goods and services used by most households. There are around 77,000 resident doctors in England who work in various settings from GP surgeries to hospitals. Resident doctor is a catch-all term for all doctors in training ranging from graduates to medics with a decade of experience.
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