What does the latest resident doctors strikes mean for the NHS? Starting April 7, resident doctors in England will strike for six days after rejecting a final pay offer from the health secretary. This marks the 15th industrial action in their ongoing campaign for full pay restoration.
The strike is scheduled to run from 7am on April 7 to 6:59am on April 13, and NHS leaders have warned that it could cost the health service an estimated £300 million. The British Medical Association (BMA) has blamed the government for the escalation, stating that negotiations had been progressing until recent shifts in the government’s stance.
Key issues in the negotiations centered around pay progression and nodal point reform. The BMA is demanding a further 26% pay rise to compensate for the erosion of real-terms salaries since 2008-09, while the government has only offered a 3.5% pay rise for the upcoming year.
On March 25, 2026, the BMA announced the strike, highlighting the dissatisfaction with the government’s proposal. If an agreement had been reached, resident doctors would have earned about £700 million over the next three years.
Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health, expressed disappointment over the BMA’s decision, stating, “The BMA’s move was enormously disappointing.” A source from the BMA remarked, “When the government intimated two weeks ago that it would take three years for doctors to get the money, that was the beginning of the end.”
Dr. Jack Fletcher, a representative of the doctors, noted, “Negotiations had been going well until two weeks ago when the government began to shift the goalposts.” The uncertainty surrounding the negotiations raises questions about whether further discussions will take place before the strike begins.
Details remain unconfirmed regarding the potential impact of the strike on patient care and NHS operations. The situation remains fluid as the health service braces for the consequences of this significant industrial action.