The upcoming NHS strike by resident doctors in England faces a stern warning from Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who says the government will not be “held to ransom” and that the industrial action is placing jobs and patient care at risk.
Mr Streeting revealed that dealing with the five-day strike, scheduled from 7 am on 14 November to 7 am on 19 November, will cost approximately £250 million, a figure he said will limit the number of specialty training roles available for doctors advancing their careers. The walk-out, organised by the British Medical Association (BMA), is the 13th since 2023 and comes amid concerns about waiting lists and winter pressures.
Signs of recovery shadowed by deep-rooted cultural problems
While the National Health Service (NHS) has reported slight improvements — including falling patient waiting-list numbers, rising GP recruitment and increased satisfaction with general practice — Mr Streeting stressed that recovery remains fragile. He said he was battling “cultural challenges” within the NHS, such as staff abdicating responsibility, failing to listen to patients and covering up mistakes — behaviours which undermine public trust.
Meanwhile, latest figures show an estimated 7.41 million treatments waiting at the end of August, relating to 6.26 million patients, up from July.
The dispute: pay, training and pathway bottlenecks
The doctors’ union argues that early-career medics face 20 per cent real-term pay declines since 2008 and struggle to secure specialty training placements. The BMA says the government’s recent pay offers and training-route reforms are inadequate. In response Mr Streeting said while a deal was on the table – including increased training places and help with exam fees – the scale of change was constrained by strike costs and broader NHS funding demands.
What’s next for patients and NHS staff?
Mr Streeting warned that prolonged disruption could jeopardise the progress made under the current government. He urged doctors to reconsider the strike, stressing that other NHS staff and patients should not bear the cost of industrial action. The winter ahead is expected to see increased pressure from flu, respiratory infections and the backlog of delayed procedures — an environment in which a five-day walk-out poses serious risks to service delivery.
Industrial action in the NHS has been intensifying since 2022, with multiple strikes across different staff groups over pay erosion and working conditions — a trend that has interrupted efforts to reduce waiting lists and stabilise services. The current dispute centres on “resident doctors” (formerly junior doctors) but also reflects wider workforce, training and morale challenges inside the NHS.
The coming NHS strike represents more than a pay dispute. It underscores deeper cultural and structural issues in the health service, raises significant cost and career-path implications and risks undoing fragile signs of recovery. The government is deploying stern rhetoric, but the outcome will depend on whether dialogue replaces disruption — and whether the NHS can maintain momentum without further losses.
