England’s NHS faces yet another wave of disruption after the British Medical Association declared a new five day walkout by resident doctors, beginning on 17 December, in the long running dispute over pay.
Resident doctors, the government’s new term for junior doctors, make up nearly half of the nation’s medical workforce. They span everyone from newly qualified medics to those with up to ten years’ experience, and their absence will affect both emergency and routine care. Senior doctors are expected to be drafted in to keep services running, but NHS leaders warn the impact will be severe.
The announcement marks the fourteenth strike by the BMA since March 2023, and hospital bosses say the timing, with winter pressures already biting, could not be worse.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, described the move as “an inflammatory act by the BMA.” He added:
“Everyone knows in the run up to Christmas we need all hands on deck. It’s really important to be able to discharge as many patients as possible so that where appropriate they can be at home with their loved ones. It’s totally unfair to patients and to other staff working for the NHS. Both sides need to get back round the table to break the logjam.”
The planned December action follows a similar five day strike last month, held after talks between ministers and the doctors’ union collapsed. The government had offered a package centred on expanding training posts, improving working conditions and easing costs such as exam fees. The BMA rejected the offer, insisting that any settlement must include a further uplift in pay.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has repeatedly said he will not negotiate on pay, pointing out that resident doctors have received rises totalling almost thirty percent over the past three years. The BMA disputes this, arguing that, once inflation is factored in, their members’ pay still sits around a fifth below 2008 levels.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said the union had been left with no alternative. He argued that, with no credible plan from ministers, strike action was unavoidable, although he stressed:
“These [strikes] do not need to go ahead. Gradually raising pay over a few years and some common sense fixes to the job security of our doctors are well within the reach of this government.”
Streeting accused the union of deliberately targeting the busiest period of the year, saying:
“The BMA have clearly chosen to strike when it will cause maximum disruption, causing untold anxiety. Patients and NHS staff deserve better than this cynical attempt to wreck Christmas.”
Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch said:
“We warned Labour that handing out above inflation pay increases with no strings attached would only lead to the trade unions coming back for more. They ignored us. These strikes are now happening because Labour are too weak to stand up to the unions.”
Ms Badnoch said the next Conservative Government will “legislate to stop doctors from taking widespread strike action – like police officers and soldiers.”
The BMA’s current strike mandate expires in early January, but the union has already confirmed it will ballot members again, signalling that the dispute is far from over.
