The British Medical Association has confirmed resident doctors in England will stage a five‑day walkout from 7am on Wednesday 17 December to 7am on Monday 22 December, escalating a dispute centred on pay and early‑career job prospects. The action follows unsuccessful talks with ministers in November.
This month’s stoppage follows a five‑day strike from 14 to 19 November. NHS England described that round as the thirteenth since March 2023; if it proceeds, December’s action would mark the fourteenth.
Resident doctors are fully qualified medics in postgraduate training or locally employed roles. They account for around half of all doctors working in the NHS. The title replaced “junior doctors” in September 2024 after the BMA and government agreed to adopt the term.
For the duration of the strike, resident doctors will withdraw from both emergency and elective rosters. Trusts are expected to rely on consultants and SAS doctors to sustain urgent and emergency care, with safety‑critical derogations agreed case‑by‑case between local clinical leaders, NHS England and the BMA. Patients are advised to attend appointments unless told otherwise.
Ministers tabled a non‑pay package in November, including extra specialty training posts and reimbursement of exam and professional fees, but the BMA’s resident doctors committee said any credible deal must include movement on pay as well as job security. As committee chair Dr Jack Fletcher put it, these walkouts “do not need to go ahead” if the government delivers phased pay progress and fixes to training bottlenecks.
On pay, the government points to awards totalling roughly 29% across three years. In 2023/24 resident doctors received an average 13.2% uplift (8.8% DDRB plus an additional 4.05%), followed by around 8% in 2024/25, taking two‑year gains to 22.3%. For 2025/26, ministers accepted the DDRB’s 5.4% award.
The BMA argues real‑terms earnings remain about a fifth below 2008 levels and says full restoration requires a 29% increase, potentially phased over several years. That demand remains the union’s negotiating position for England.
Operationally, NHS England reports that more than 93–95% of planned care was delivered during November’s strike, though tens of thousands of appointments were still rescheduled. Health leaders warn continued action adds cost pressures; sector estimates put a typical five‑day round at roughly £240m.
Public guidance from the health service is unchanged: use 999 for life‑threatening emergencies, 111 online for urgent but non‑life‑threatening concerns, and attend booked appointments unless contacted to rearrange. Trusts will continue to triage derogation requests where patient safety is at risk.
The current legal mandate for industrial action runs into January 2026. The BMA has confirmed it will ballot members from 8 December to 2 February on extending the mandate for a further six months.
The timing intensifies winter pressures. The action overlaps with rising flu activity and sits against the government’s objective that 92% of patients start non‑urgent hospital treatment within 18 weeks by 2029; current performance is materially below that threshold.
For NHS boards and integrated care systems, the immediate focus is on rota resilience, senior cover for emergency pathways, realistic elective scheduling, and rapid post‑strike recovery. NHS England has signalled it will prioritise clinically led decisions and swift turnaround on any safety‑critical derogations.