Resident doctors will strike later this month for five days of industrial action, designed to bring hospitals to a standstill.
Thousands of medics – previously known as junior doctors – demanding pay hikes of up to 29 per cent will walk out from July 25 to July 30.
British Medical Association (BMA) bosses claimed they had ‘no choice but to call strikes’ after the Government had failed to make a ‘credible offer’ to ‘restore pay’.
More than 26,000 resident doctors voted in favour of strike action on Tuesday, while just under 3,000 voted against.
The medics have already taken industrial action 11 times since 2022, crippling services and forcing health bosses to cancel an estimated 1.5million appointments.
They were offered a 5.4 per cent pay rise in May following a review of public sector pay.
The increase, recommended by an independent pay review body, was above the rate of inflation, which jumped to 3.5 per cent in April, the highest since January 2024.
But union leaders labelled the uplift an ‘insult to doctors’ and said a pay lift of 29.2 per cent was vital to reverse ‘pay erosion’ since 2008.
Thousands of medics – previously known as junior doctors – demanding pay hikes of up to 29 per cent will walk out from July 25 to July 30
Yesterday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned resident doctors the public will ‘not forgive them’
BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt today said: ‘We met Wes Streeting yesterday and made every attempt to avoid strike action by opening negotiations for pay restoration.
‘Unfortunately, the Government has stated that it will not negotiate on pay, wanting to focus on non-pay elements without suggesting what these might be.
‘Without a credible offer to keep us on the path to restore our pay, we have no choice but to call strikes.
‘No doctor wants to strike, and these strikes don’t have to go ahead. If Mr Streeting can seriously come to the table in the next two weeks we can ensure that no disruption is caused.
‘The Government knows what is needed to avert strikes. The choice is theirs.’
The strikes will commence from 7am on July 25 until 7am on July 30 – five days total.
Yesterday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting warned resident doctors the public will ‘not forgive them’ for launching another wave of strikes.
He told The Times: ‘The public will not forgive strike action in these circumstances and nor will I.’
A YouGov poll found 48 per cent of Britons oppose resident doctors going on strike, while 39 per cent support them taking action
He also said the BMA walkouts would be ‘a disaster for their members and a disaster for patients, just as we are finally moving the NHS in the right direction’.
Mr Streeting accused them of ‘squandering an opportunity by striking’ instead of working with him to improve working conditions, warning: ‘You will not find another health and social care secretary as sympathetic to resident doctors as me’.
A recent YouGov poll also found 48 per cent of Britons oppose resident doctors going on strike, while 39 per cent support them taking action.
YouGov said this ‘marks a shift in opinion’ of public support of striking junior doctors last summer, when the majority of Britons – 52 per cent – said they supported the action.
The five day action also threatens to undermine Sir Keir Starmer’s key ambition to cut waiting lists and could leave the government’s new 10 Year Health Plan, unveiled last week, in tatters.
Downing Street has similarly said pay negotiations will not be reopened because the Government ‘can’t be more generous’ than it already has been this year.
No 10 said: ‘The NHS is finally moving in the right direction for the first time in 15 years so it’s disappointing that the BMA is threatening to undermine that progress with strikes.
‘We aren’t going to reopen negotiations on pay.’
The group of medics have already taken industrial action 11 times since 2002, crippling services and forcing health bosses to cancel an estimated 1.5million appointments
NHS bosses yesterday revealed they were dreading the prospect of the strikes, warning they would lead to tens, if not hundreds of thousands of operations and procedures being delayed or cancelled, ‘leaving patients in pain or discomfort’.
Hospital consultants, who are currently being balloted on strike action, have already threatened to join resident doctors on the picket lines, if they too vote in favour of action.
Last September BMA resident doctor members voted to accept a Government pay deal worth 22.3 per cent on average over two years.
The review of public sector pay in May also saw resident doctors given a 4 per cent uplift plus £750 ‘on a consolidated basis’ – working out as an average pay rise of 5.4 per cent.
The BMA call for a 29.2 per cent raise is based on Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, the measure of average changes in the price of goods and services used by most households.
There are around 77,000 resident doctors in England who work in various settings from GP surgeries to hospitals.
Resident doctor is a catch-all term for all doctors in training ranging from graduates to medics with a decade of experience.
