England's Resident Doctors Prepare for Major Five-Day Walkout
A new wave of NHS disruption looms as resident doctors, still commonly known as junior doctors, announce a dramatic five-day strike across England. Backed by a resounding 90% of ballot participants from the British Medical Association (BMA), the industrial action will run from 7am on 25 July until 7am on 30 July. With only just over half of eligible doctors casting votes, the turnout stands at 55%, but the message from those who did participate is clear: pay is the breaking point.
Doctors are demanding a hefty 29% pay rise, which isn’t just a bargaining chip. It's rooted in their claim that real-terms salaries have nosedived—down by around 20% since 2008, even after recent pay improvements. The BMA calls this campaign 'pay restoration,' arguing that current wages no longer reflect the responsibilities, pressures, and working hours that the job now involves. Their strike mandate extends to 7 January 2026, effectively keeping the possibility of more walkouts alive if pay concerns aren’t resolved in the coming months.
Mounting Pressure on NHS and Government Response
The NHS is bracing for a repeat of the chaos seen in previous doctor strikes. Health officials are predicting that as many as 200,000 hospital appointments could be scrapped or rescheduled due to the upcoming stoppage. For patients, that means longer waits for surgeries, consultations, and follow-up care just as the health service struggles to clear existing backlogs.
The timing couldn’t be worse. The government, eager to show progress in shrinking waiting lists and improving healthcare access, finds itself at odds with the BMA. While Health Secretary Wes Streeting acknowledges that some improvements in patient access have been made recently, he’s voiced worries about the public’s appetite for ongoing strikes. Strikes have a visible effect—disrupted appointments and delayed procedures—which quickly translates into public frustration and political headaches for those in charge.
The resident doctors strike highlights deep disagreements over the NHS’s future and how best to value frontline workers. Doctors feel undervalued after years of compressed pay and pandemic pressures, while government officials are wary of stoking inflation or appearing to cave under union pressure. As the strike mandate stretches into next year, both sides appear entrenched. For now, patients and hospital staff are left to navigate the fallout from a dispute that shows no sign of cooling down.
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