Resident doctors in England set for five-day December strike, BMA announces

Resident doctors in England will go on strike for five consecutive days in the run-up to Christmas, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced.

The walkout will take place from 7am on December 17 until December 22.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the move as “cynical”, and accused the union of attempting to turn medics “into the Grinch who stole Christmas”.

He added that his “door has always been open” and he stands ready “to do a deal that puts patients first this Christmas”.

Experts expect pressure on services to be “intense” amid surging flu cases and staff sickness, but medics say they have been left with “no choice”.

Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said: “With the Government failing to put forward a credible plan to fix the jobs crisis for resident doctors at the same time as pushing a real terms pay cut for them, we have no choice but to announce more strike dates.

“However, these do not need to go ahead. Gradually raising pay over a few years and some common-sense fixes to the job security of our doctors are well within the reach of this Government.

“It would ensure both the long-term strength of our healthcare workforce and spare the country the indignity of see unemployed doctors at a time patients are queuing up to even see a GP.

“This month we’ve seen the full farcical extent of the jobs crisis, with second-year doctors applying for training posts being asked to provide evidence of experience well beyond what would have previously been asked of them.

“It is precisely this sort of situation which is driving doctors away from jobs and to the picket line. But it is not too late for Government to get a grip on the situation.”

Previous resident doctor strikes took place from July 25 to 30 and November 14 to 19.

Last month’s industrial action was the 13th strike since March 2023, while the summer walkout was estimated to have cost the health service £300 million.

Mr Streeting said: “The BMA have clearly chosen to strike when it will cause maximum disruption, causing untold anxiety. Patients and NHS staff deserve better than this cynical attempt to wreck Christmas.

“After a 28.9% pay rise, the Government offered to create more jobs and put money back in resident doctors’ pockets. The BMA rejected it out of hand, refused to put the offer to its members, blocking a better deal for doctors.

“Now, without a single conversation with the Government, they’re threatening more strikes at the busiest time of the year.

“It’s time for resident doctors to stand up to the BMA and say that enough is enough. These strikes are in no one’s interest and there is no moral justification for them. Resident doctors should ignore the BMA’s attempts to turn them into the Grinch who stole Christmas.

“My door has always been open, I have never walked away from the table, and I stand ready to do a deal that puts patients first this Christmas.”

NHS England CEO Sir Jim Mackey said: “This is totally reckless behaviour from the BMA Committee.

“The timing of the latest industrial action is clearly designed to maximise disruption of patient care, coming just as flu cases are surging and we enter the most dangerous time of year for hospitals.”

He said the NHS did all it could in the last two rounds of strikes to minimise disruption, but it would “take a monumental effort to keep patients safe this time, which makes this a shameful decision to have taken”.

“It also deprives hard-working NHS colleagues – who have worked so hard this year on NHS recovery – of Christmas with their families, with many now likely to be called in on their well-earned days off,” he added.

NHS Providers chief executive Daniel Elkeles described the move as “an inflammatory act by the BMA”.

“Everyone knows in the run-up to Christmas we need all hands on deck,” he said.

“It’s really important to be able to discharge as many patients as possible so that where appropriate they can be at home with their loved ones.”

Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: “This will come as a devastating blow to health leaders who have only just navigated another round of walkouts.

“With winter now upon us, flu levels surging, and staff sickness expected to rise, pressure on services will be intense.

Mr Deighton added the walkout will have a “huge impact” on patients and could likely lead to “thousands of cancelled appointments and operations”.

Last week, the BMA announced it would ballot its resident doctor members on extending its mandate for strike action, which runs out in January.

If the vote is successful, the mandate would extend to August 2026.

The ballot will run from December 8 until February 2.