Resident doctors in England have begun five days of strike action after rejecting the government’s latest proposal aimed at ending the long-running dispute over pay, training and job prospects in the NHS.
The industrial action follows last-minute talks between the British Medical Association and Health Secretary Wes Streeting, which failed to produce an agreement, leaving services facing further disruption during one of the most pressured periods of the winter.
Five-day strike under way
The strike began this week and is scheduled to continue until 7am on Monday, marking the latest escalation in a dispute that has dominated NHS workforce relations for nearly two years.
Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, make up around half of all doctors working in the NHS in England, meaning the walkout is expected to have a significant impact on hospital services and routine care.
Government offer rejected
The government’s most recent offer focused on expanding the number of training posts, allowing early-career doctors to enter their chosen medical specialties sooner.
However, the proposal did not include any pay increase for the current financial year, a key demand for doctors who argue their real-terms earnings have fallen sharply over the past decade.
In a survey conducted by the BMA last week, 83% of voting resident doctors rejected the offer, with a turnout of 65%. More than 35,000 of the 55,000 doctors represented by the union took part.
Fourteenth strike since 2023
This round of action is the 14th strike staged by resident doctors since March 2023, reflecting the depth and persistence of the dispute.
Doctors have repeatedly warned of a growing jobs crisis, with bottlenecks in specialist training and limited career progression pushing some medics to leave the NHS or consider working abroad.
BMA calls for long-term plan
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said the strike demonstrates doctors’ willingness to defend their profession.
He said ministers must deliver a credible long-term strategy that includes a clear route to restoring pay over several years and creating genuinely new training and consultant posts rather than reallocating existing roles.
Dr Fletcher added that without such reforms, further strikes remain likely under the current government.
NHS leaders warn of disruption
NHS England has raised concerns about the timing of the strike, warning it comes amid intense winter pressures.
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England’s national medical director, said hospitals are already dealing with record numbers of flu patients for this time of year, alongside ongoing pressures from delayed discharges and staff shortages.
She warned that more patients are likely to feel the impact of this strike than previous rounds, and said staff covering shifts will miss out on time off with their families in the run-up to Christmas.
Government response
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said ministers and officials met with BMA representatives on Tuesday in an attempt to avert the strike.
The spokesperson said discussions were constructive but ultimately failed to reach a deal, despite efforts to avoid industrial action.
The department said its focus will now be on working with NHS leaders to minimise disruption and maintain patient safety during the walkout.
Wider NHS pay dispute context
The latest strike comes as the government faces mounting pressure across the public sector, with ongoing disputes involving teachers, civil servants and other healthcare workers.
Resident doctors argue that pay erosion and limited training opportunities threaten the long-term sustainability of the NHS workforce, while ministers maintain that public finances remain under strain.
With no agreement reached, the standoff between the government and doctors is set to continue, raising fresh questions about NHS staffing, patient care and the future of medical careers in England.
