Thousands of resident doctors in England will soon vote on potential strike action, reigniting a tense pay dispute that had seemingly been resolved last year. The British Medical Association (BMA) announced that the ballot will open on 27 May and close on 7 July, with any strike mandate running from July 2025 to January 2026.
This new round of potential resident doctor strikes comes just seven months after the profession accepted a 22.3% pay rise covering 2023–25, a deal that ended 18 months of rolling strikes across the NHS. Despite that agreement, the BMA says the government has failed to offer a satisfactory pay proposal for 2025–26.
The BMA’s resident doctors’ committee, led by Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, said they had urged Health Secretary Wes Streeting to commit to negotiating a fair deal that would continue the trajectory towards full pay restoration by 2027.
“Unfortunately, he could not make this commitment,” they said. “Resident doctors are not going to be ignored. We are going to fight to restore our pay to its 2008 value – because no doctor today is worth less than they were 17 years ago.”
Growing Tensions Despite Recent Agreement
While the previous 22.3% increase was less than the 35% the BMA originally demanded, it was enough at the time to suspend strike action. However, with no further agreement on pay progression, tensions have resurfaced.
The BMA has warned the government that continued inaction could spark renewed walkouts, disrupting hospital operations and delaying care for patients already facing backlogs.
NHS Leaders and Politicians Voice Concern
Danny Mortimer, CEO of NHS Employers, said the potential strike would “alarm” hospitals, urging the BMA to continue dialogue rather than industrial action. Labour leader Keir Starmer also called for negotiations, stating: “I don’t want to see strike action. I don’t think anybody wants to see strike action.”
Meanwhile, other NHS unions such as Unison and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are also consulting members about possible industrial action, raising concerns about widespread disruptions across the healthcare system this summer.
