A leaked opinion poll has revealed deep divisions among England's medical workforce, showing that only a third of resident doctors support the five-day strike action currently underway. The survey, conducted by Savanta and shared with The Times, exposes significant internal disagreement as the British Medical Association (BMA) continues its industrial action.
Strike Action Amidst Membership Doubts
The ongoing walkout, which began recently and will continue until 7am on Wednesday, represents the thirteenth time since 2023 that junior doctors have taken industrial action in their prolonged dispute over pay and working conditions. This latest strike comes despite Health Secretary Wes Streeting having offered a package of measures last week that included additional specialist training places and assistance with examination fees.
According to the leaked poll findings, merely 33 per cent of surveyed resident doctors agreed that the strike should proceed following Mr Streeting's offer. In contrast, 48 per cent believed the industrial action should have been called off, while the remaining 19 per cent described themselves as 'unsure' about the correct course of action.
Government Condemnation and Union Response
The BMA leadership faced sharp criticism for rejecting the government's proposal within just four hours without consulting their wider membership. Health Secretary Wes Streeting launched a blistering attack on the union, accusing it of having 'leadership that has truly lost the plot'.
In a radio interview with LBC, Mr Streeting directly addressed a striking doctor from north London, stating: 'On every single one of those fronts, on pay, on specialty training places, on improvements to conditions, I have been working to address every single one of those issues.' He emphasized that strikes should be a last resort and condemned what he characterized as 'recklessness' and holding patients to 'ransom'.
The Health Secretary highlighted that junior doctors had received a 28.9 per cent pay rise over two years, describing it as the highest in the public sector. He argued that the union leadership was not being honest about the time required to implement complex changes within the health service.
Financial Impact and NHS Strain
The industrial action is expected to create a £240 million financial burden on the health service budget, as hospitals are compelled to cancel appointments and pay consultants premium overtime rates to cover for absent junior colleagues. This represents a significant cost, though slightly less than the £300 million estimated for their previous strike in July.
Health leaders have expressed serious concerns that the NHS may need to reduce frontline staff and perform fewer operations and scans to manage the ongoing costs of doctors' strikes. The timing is particularly worrying as the walkout coincides with elevated flu cases in England, which remain three times higher than normal, with hospital admissions doubling among those aged 75 to 84 in just one week.
Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, has instructed hospital trust bosses to maintain 95 per cent of non-urgent care treatments and procedures, rescheduling only in exceptional circumstances to safeguard patient safety. However, BMA leader Dr Tom Dolphin acknowledged that achieving this target would be 'challenging' during the strike period.
Despite the pressure, Dr Dolphin asserted that doctors have a legal right to strike and should not be 'bullied or coerced' into working, though he confirmed members would leave picket lines in the event of major emergencies such as mass casualty incidents.
The dispute centres on the BMA's demand for a further 26 per cent pay increase to restore earnings to what they claim were 2008 levels, using the Retail Price Index measure of inflation. The government disputes this methodology, arguing that the Consumer Prices Index provides a more accurate measure and that under this calculation, junior doctors' pay has fallen by only 5 per cent since 2008.
Public opinion appears to be shifting against the industrial action, with a recent YouGov poll finding that 48 per cent of Britons oppose the junior doctors' strikes, while 39 per cent support them. This marks a notable change from last summer when majority public support favoured the striking medics.
