NHS Confederation Urges Mediation to End Resident Doctor Strikes Amid Prolonged Dispute
The NHS Confederation has called for independent mediation between Health Secretary Wes Streeting and the British Medical Association (BMA) to resolve a 33-month dispute with resident doctors in England. The conflict has led to significant industrial action, with thousands of resident doctors planning to strike for five days from 7am on Wednesday until 7am on Monday, 22 December. This will be their 14th strike since 2023.
Hospitals across England have cancelled tens of thousands of tests and treatments to manage the impact of the upcoming strike. Last-ditch talks between the health secretary and the BMA were described as constructive but did not result in an agreement on key issues including pay and job security.
Sir Jim Mackey, head of NHS England, condemned the strike as cruel and calculated, stating it was intended to cause chaos during one of the NHS’s busiest weeks. The BMA is demanding a 26% pay rise over three years along with expanded training places, but the government has maintained that such an increase is unaffordable given current public finances.
With the strike mandate set to expire on 6 January, the BMA plans to reballot about 55,000 resident doctors out of the 70,000 working in the NHS in England, indicating the possibility of ongoing industrial action beyond the Christmas period. The Department of Health acknowledged that talks aimed to prevent the strikes failed to achieve an agreement and emphasized that efforts will now focus on minimizing disruption during the stoppages.
