Resident doctors in England will begin a six-day strike after Easter after rejecting what they described as the final offer from Health Secretary Wes Streeting to end the long-running pay dispute. The British Medical Association (BMA) blamed the government for the stoppage, the longest yet, which runs from 7am on Tuesday 7 April to 6.59am on Monday 13 April.
This will be the 15th industrial action by resident doctors in their campaign for ‘full pay restoration’, marking the fourth consecutive year of strikes. NHS leaders warned the walkout could cost the health service an estimated £300m, leading to cancelled appointments and longer waits for tests, treatment and surgery.
Streeting called the BMA’s decision ‘enormously disappointing’, stating that doctors had rejected a ‘generous’ offer and a ‘landmark new deal’ that would have provided higher salaries through more frequent and fairer pay rises, plus additional training places. Talks had been ongoing since early January, with both sides reporting progress on salaries and the transition into specialist training.
The key sticking point was pay progression, formally known as ‘nodal point reform’, which determines how quickly doctors move through the NHS pay system. The BMA’s resident doctors committee (RDC) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) disagreed on the speed of implementation. The proposed deal would have given doctors an extra £700m over three years, but the BMA insisted the full amount be paid in the next financial year, while the DHSC wanted it spread out.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s RDC, said negotiations were progressing well until two weeks ago when ‘the government began to shift the goalposts’. He added that the decision by the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration Review Body to award a 3.5% pay rise for 2026-27 convinced the BMA that the government would not meet their demands. The first junior doctor strike began on 13 March 2023, and Streeting had previously offered a 22% pay rise in July 2024. The RDC is seeking a further 26% rise, spread over several years, to restore pay lost since 2008-09.
Both the BMA and Streeting have indicated willingness for further talks, but the union says a deal is only possible if the government agrees to the full £700m in the upcoming financial year. Streeting thanked the RDC leadership for its ‘constructive approach’ during recent talks, leaving the door open for a resolution.
