RESIDENT DOCTORS IN ENGLAND BEGIN 5-DAY WALKOUT AMID SHARP RISE IN FLU CASES

Wed 17 December 2025:

Doctors in England on Wednesday began a five-day strike due to dispute over pay and working conditions amid the country’s National Health Service (NHS) warning over surging flue cases.

In a latest action over pay, thousands of resident doctors begin another walkout following British Medical Association (BMA) calls “the continuing failure of the government to make a credible offer on jobs or pay.”

It came after doctors rejected a recently revised offer put forward by the government, the BMA said in a statement on Monday.

The latest offer from the government would have increased the number of training places to enable early career doctors to start training in their chosen medical speciality, but not increased their pay for the current financial year.

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The Department of Health offered measures included increasing the number of new specialty training posts from 1,000 to 4,000 over the next three years, as well as a pledge to bring forward emergency legislation in the new year to prioritize UK medical graduates for these posts.

Resident doctors, who make up about half of all NHS doctors, overwhelmingly rejected the offer in a BMA survey last week, with 83% voting against it on a 65% turnout. Of the 55,000 resident medics represented by the union, 35,107 took part.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said earlier that a 26% pay rise demand over the next few years on top of last year’s 28.9% pay rise is “totally unrealistic demand.”

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “The secretary of state and officials met with the BMA resident doctors committee today [Tuesday] for talks to try and avert this week’s strikes.

“Every effort was made to avert strike action. While constructive, they were not able to reach an agreement.

“All of our focus will now be on working with the whole NHS team to minimise the disruption caused by the strikes.”

The industrial action will be the 14th strike that resident doctors have staged since March 2023.

NHS leaders are anxious about how the service will cope with the strike. Prof Meghana Pandit, NHS England’s national medical director, said: “These strikes come at an immensely challenging time for the NHS, with record numbers of patients in hospital with flu for this time of year.

“Staff will come together as they always do, going above and beyond to provide safe care and limit disruption, but sadly more patients are likely to feel the impact of this round of strikes than the previous two – and staff covering will not get the Christmas break they deserve with their families.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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