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Physicians

NHS Strike Looms as BMA and Government Deadlocked Over Pay Dispute

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has agreed to meet representatives from the British Medical Association (BMA) in an effort to avoid planned strike action by resident doctors in England. The BMA announced that its members will walk out for five consecutive days starting from July 25 amid a pay dispute with the Government. The strike threatens to drive a wrecking ball through the NHS, sending waiting lists soaring.

Key Takeaways:

  • The BMA has reported a turnout of 55pc among its members, with 90pc of voting resident doctors backing the strike action.
  • The union is demanding a pay uplift of 29.3pc to reverse "pay erosion" since 2008/09, based on the Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation measure.
  • In September, BMA members voted to accept a government pay deal worth 22.3pc on average over two years, but the union argues that this is not enough to address the pay gap.
  • The 2025/26 pay deal offered an average pay rise of 5.4pc, but the BMA claims this is not sufficient to compensate for inflation and pay erosion.
  • The hospital appointment backlog rose by 10,000 on average every day junior doctors went on strike over the past two years, with the waiting list increasing from 7.21 million at the start of 2023 to 7.62 million in July.
  • Health Secretary Wes Streeting has described the BMA's move as "completely unreasonable" and urged the union to "abandon their rush to strike".
  • The strikes have been criticized by Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of NHS Providers, who said that the action will be "totally unfair to patients" and will harm the NHS.

Statistics:

  • 90pc of voting resident doctors backed the strike action on a 55pc turnout.
  • The BMA is demanding a 29.3pc pay uplift to reverse "pay erosion" since 2008/09.
  • The waiting list increased from 7.21 million at the start of 2023 to 7.62 million in July.
  • The hospital appointment backlog rose by 10,000 on average every day junior doctors went on strike over the past two years.
  • The 2025/26 pay deal offered an average pay rise of 5.4pc.
  • 55% reported turnout among BMA members.

Sources:

  • The Telegraph
  • BBC
  • British Medical Association (BMA)
  • NHS Providers
  • House of Commons
  • Health Department

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