Resident Doctors' Strike Ends as NHS Calls for Urgent Talks With BMA
A six-day strike by resident doctors in England came to an end at 7am on Monday, with NHS England urging patients to seek medical care as normal and Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent meeting with the British Medical Association to find a way out of the long-running pay dispute.
The industrial action, which ran from 7 April to 13 April, was the 15th strike by resident doctors since March 2023 and caused widespread disruption to non-urgent NHS services, including postponed outpatient appointments and delayed elective surgeries. Emergency and critical care continued to operate throughout.
The Dispute
The strike was triggered by the collapse of negotiations between the BMA's Resident Doctors Committee and the government. The BMA accused ministers of reducing a previously discussed pay offer at the last minute — a claim the Department of Health and Social Care disputed. Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the Resident Doctors Committee, described the breakdown as "the breaking point" after weeks of talks.
The government's offer would have made resident doctors, on average, 35.2% better off than four years ago, including an average pay rise of 4.9% for the current year and higher increases for the lowest-paid foundation doctors. The offer also included between 4,000 and 4,500 additional specialty training posts over three years. The BMA rejected the offer, arguing it fell short of full pay restoration to 2008 levels — a demand that would require a 26% increase.
The Cost of Conflict
The 15 strikes since 2023 have cost the NHS an estimated £3 billion and forced the rearrangement of hundreds of thousands of appointments and procedures. An IPPR report published on Monday highlighted that the NHS ranks near the bottom among developed countries for preventable deaths despite receiving record funding, adding urgency to calls for reform and resolution of the workforce dispute.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting stated that 95% of planned care was maintained during the strike and called for a meeting with the BMA's Resident Doctors Committee to discuss the rejected deal.
What's Next
Dr Fletcher indicated that resident doctors would continue striking until their legal mandate expires in August unless their demands are met, leaving open the possibility of further monthly strikes. However, he also expressed willingness to resume talks with the Health Secretary if a new proposal meaningfully addresses pay restoration.
For patients, the immediate priority is clearing the backlog of postponed appointments. NHS England has urged anyone who had an appointment cancelled during the strike to rebook as soon as possible, and has confirmed that 40 new and expanded urgent care sites across England — backed by £215.5 million — are being rolled out to ease pressure on emergency departments.
Source: The Guardian.
