Resident doctors in England call off strike after government's last-minute offer

Resident doctors in England have suspended strike action after the government made a new offer that will be presented to members. The walkout was set to begin at 7am on Monday and last four days – it would have been the 16th round of strikes since 2023.

The British Medical Association (BMA) announced on Saturday that a last-minute offer had been received and would be put to members. Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, stated that no strikes needed to go ahead if an appropriate offer was made. He added that while this should not have been left to the last moment, the BMA holds up its end when the government shifts its position.

The offer is understood to include standard 2016 resident doctor contract terms for all locally employed doctors and an average 6.6% pay uplift to be fully implemented by April 2027.

Prof Frankie Swords, national medical director at NHS England, had warned that the planned strike would have coincided with warm weather and the World Cup, creating a “triple whammy of pressure” on the health service.

Health Secretary James Murray called the cancellation “a positive and welcome development – especially for patients”. He noted that resident doctors have received a 28.9% pay rise over the last three years and said “the country simply cannot afford to increase the pay offer for this year”.