Thousands of resident doctors in England are set to stage a five-day strike from 25 July in an ongoing dispute over pay, the British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed.
The action will run from 7am on Thursday 25 July until 7am on Tuesday 30 July, placing further pressure on the NHS at the height of summer.
The doctors, previously referred to as junior doctors, backed fresh industrial action after negotiations with Health Secretary Wes Streeting failed to deliver a resolution on pay. The BMA said it had made repeated efforts to avoid further strikes but was left with no alternative following the government’s refusal to reopen pay talks.
The Department of Health and Social Care said doctors had already received a 28.9% pay increase over the past three years, including a 5.4% rise for the current financial year.
However, the BMA argues that doctors’ wages remain approximately 20% lower in real terms compared to 2008, and insists that pay restoration is essential to retaining staff and ensuring long-term stability in the health service.
Co-chairs of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, criticised the government for failing to make a credible offer during talks held earlier this week.
They said ministers preferred to discuss non-pay elements without offering concrete proposals, leaving the union with no choice but to proceed with industrial action.
The strike will mark the twelfth round of walkouts since 2023, with previous action resulting in the cancellation of hundreds of thousands of NHS appointments and procedures. Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the upcoming strikes, calling them a disaster for both patients and the medical workforce. He warned that the public would not support further disruption to health services, particularly after significant pay increases had already been delivered.
Resident doctors in England currently earn between £37,000 and £70,000 a year for a standard 40-hour week, depending on experience. Additional payments are made for unsocial hours, night shifts and weekend work. The latest 5.4% pay increase is scheduled to be reflected in pay packets from August.
Downing Street has reiterated that there will be no reopening of pay talks and described the doctors’ pay awards as the most generous in the public sector for the past two consecutive years.
With just two weeks left before the planned walkout, the BMA is urging the government to return to the negotiating table. The union says the strikes can still be avoided if a credible pay offer is made.
