Resident doctors employed by the NHS are taking industrial action in a five-day strike from December 17 to December 22.
The strike, organised by the British Medical Association (BMA), follows earlier periods of walkouts in July and November 2024 and forms part of ongoing disputes over pay, training and conditions.
The Health and Social Care Secretary and the Social Care Secretary made a written offer to the BMA on 8 December, which included a package of non-pay measures.
The proposed offer comprised:
- Emergency legislation to prioritise UK medical graduates for specialty training, aimed at halving competition ratios.
- Expansion of the number of new training places by 4,000, with 1,000 of these brought forward to benefit this year’s applicants.
- An Alternative Core Training programme to help locally employed doctors transfer into postgraduate training.
- Non-pay support measures including addressing exam and educational costs, with backdated support from 1 April 2025.
- An increase in the allowance for less than full-time doctors by 50% to £1,500 to support doctors with caring responsibilities.
The BMA’s resident doctors committee rejected the offer following a member survey on December 15. The government’s offer is now described as “off the table”.
Resident doctors have had an average 28.9% pay rise over the past three years, with the latest increase of 5.4% this year described as above inflation.
The government statement noted record numbers of doctors in the NHS and said steps are being taken to address competitive pressures for speciality training.
Hospitals and trusts are expected to use established measures to minimise disruption, working with staff to maintain critical services.
Patients with appointments during the strike will be contacted if an appointment needs to be rescheduled; if not contacted, they are advised to attend as planned.
The walkout is happening as the NHS is currently facing pressures with the flu epidemic.
Health leaders have warned that strike action may particularly affect waiting lists and could extend delays for non-urgent treatments into January and beyond, as routine operations and procedures are postponed to prioritise urgent and emergency care during the walkout.