Health leaders have issued urgent guidance to the public on how to navigate the National Health Service during a significant five-day walkout by resident doctors across England.
Strike Details and Public Guidance
The industrial action commenced at 7am on Friday and represents the 13th walkout by resident doctors since March 2023. Despite the widespread disruption, NHS England's National Medical Director, Professor Meghana Pandit, has advised the public to maintain their scheduled appointments unless directly contacted by the NHS about cancellations.
"The public should continue to come forward for their appointments over the next few days unless they are contacted by the NHS and told otherwise," Professor Pandit stated. She acknowledged that some appointments would inevitably be rescheduled, but emphasised that everything possible was being done to minimise disruptions, citing successful management during previous strike action.
For emergency medical situations, the public is still instructed to dial 999. For non-urgent care, people should use 111 online, consult their local pharmacist, or contact their GP.
Impact on Patients and Services
The strike is expected to have a severe knock-on effect, forcing patients to wait longer for care. Hospital chiefs have been directed to keep routine operations running as much as possible, with a target of 95% of elective activity proceeding as planned. Appointments will only be rescheduled in exceptional circumstances where patient safety is a concern.
However, the Patients Association has highlighted the "agony" for those facing last-minute cancellations. They shared a harrowing example from the last strike where a patient, who needed a critical eye procedure within eight weeks to prevent blindness, had their appointment cancelled at short notice.
Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, expressed grave concern: "Imagine being that patient, imagine the fear of not knowing whether you'll go blind in one eye because of a resident doctors' strike." The organisation has called for both the British Medical Association (BMA) and the government to return to negotiations and seek independent arbitration.
The Dispute and Shifting Public Opinion
The core of the dispute centres on pay. The BMA is calling for a commitment to increase pay by 26% over the next few years, arguing that real-term salaries for resident doctors have fallen by a fifth since 2008, according to the Retail Price Index measure of inflation.
In contrast, the government, represented by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, points out that by its preferred Consumer Price Index measure, salaries are down by an average of 5% since 2008. The government has also highlighted that resident doctors received a 5.4% pay deal for 2025/26 and a significant increase the previous year.
Public support for the strikes appears to be waning. A YouGov poll found that 48% of Britons now oppose the action, while only 39% support it. This marks a shift from the summer of the previous year when a majority of the public backed the junior doctors.
Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, an organisation representing older people, commented: "Silver Voices supported the earlier resident doctors' strikes but they have now gone too far... Older people having their crucial operations and tests cancelled yet again... are unlikely to be sympathetic to a group who had a 28% increase in pay last year."
The financial cost of the strikes is also substantial, with the last walkout in July estimated to have cost the health service £300 million. NHS Confederation and NHS Providers have warned that if the NHS continues to foot the bill for strikes, it could ultimately lead to staff cuts and a reduction in tests, appointments, and operations.
