Disruption expected as six-day doctors’ strike begins

Disruption Expected as Six-Day Doctors’ Strike Begins

Starting Tuesday at 07:00 BST, resident doctors in England will begin a six-day strike, marking their 15th in a prolonged pay dispute. This industrial action is anticipated to disrupt NHS services, as these doctors—previously known as junior doctors—constitute nearly half of the medical workforce. To mitigate the impact, senior medical professionals are stepping in for emergency care, though some pre-arranged treatments and appointments may be canceled.

The British Medical Association (BMA) initiated the walkout following stalled negotiations with the government last month. The NHS has advised patients to prioritize urgent care, urging them to use emergency services like 999 and 111 as usual. Non-urgent scheduled visits should proceed unless otherwise notified. General practice services, however, are reported to remain largely unaffected.

Striking Doctors’ Concerns

Adrian Emery, a 55-year-old from Nottinghamshire, is among those impacted. He was set to attend a phone consultation on Tuesday to review his medication after experiencing multiple transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) in January, which left him with hearing issues. The appointment was initially delayed until mid-June but has now been canceled, leaving him uncertain about when he’ll receive further care.

“I’m very worried, because my grandfather actually had a very serious stroke. I hope I don’t have a full stroke before I am seen,” he told BBC News.

Despite a 33% pay increase over the past four years, the BMA argues that real-term wages have still fallen by a fifth compared to 2008 when adjusted for inflation. Dr. Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctor committee, described the strike as “regrettable” but emphasized it was not “unreasonable or unfair” given prior pay cuts and the likelihood of further reductions due to rising inflation tied to the Iran conflict.

Fletcher added that the strike could have been avoided if the government had negotiated more effectively. “We are not asking for pay restoration overnight,” he noted. The Department of Health and Social Care countered by stating the government provided a “generous deal” and expressed disappointment at the BMA’s decision to proceed with the strike. They pledged to focus on minimizing disruption to patient care and staff operations.

NHS Pay Offer and Dispute

A pay package proposed last month included covering out-of-pocket expenses, accelerating salary progression through five training bands, and additional roles for doctors beyond their second year. The first 1,000 positions were scheduled for creation this summer, but the government has since revoked that plan after the BMA announced the strike.

Latest polling from YouGov reveals 53% of respondents oppose the walkout, while 38% support it. The government claims the 3.5% pay rise offered this year is the largest in the public sector, with starting salaries now exceeding £40,000 and senior doctors earning up to £76,500. However, the BMA disputes this, arguing the pay remains 17% below pre-2008 levels when measured against inflation.

The government challenges the BMA’s claim, pointing out that the RPI inflation metric used to justify the pay gap is higher than other measures. This metric is also the one applied to student loans. Meanwhile, the BMA’s own staff are also on strike, with GMB union members engaging in a two-day walkout over pay disputes.