The latest strike by resident doctors in England marks a continuation of industrial action that began in March 2023. Over the past two years, repeated walkouts have reflected ongoing disputes over pay and working conditions.
This latest round is a five-day strike scheduled to run from 7am on Friday 25 July to 7am on Wednesday 30 July 2025. The action involves resident doctors across England, with major NHS Trusts preparing for disruption.
For clarity, “resident doctors” is the updated term now used in place of “junior doctors”. Despite the change in wording, it still refers to doctors in training, ranging from newly qualified foundation year doctors to those in specialist training posts.
Background & Mandate
Between 27 May and 7 July 2025, the British Medical Association (BMA) conducted a strike ballot of nearly 54,000 eligible resident doctor members. Turnout reached 55%, with an overwhelming 90% voting in favour of further industrial action.
The result grants the BMA a legal mandate to call strikes through to January 2026. This eight-month period is expected to include several additional rounds of industrial action unless significant progress is made in negotiations.
Motivations & Demands
Resident doctors are calling for full pay restoration, with the BMA seeking a rise of approximately 29% to reverse the real-terms decline in earnings since 2008–09. According to the union, pay for doctors in training has not kept pace with inflation over the past 15 years, leading to mounting dissatisfaction across the workforce.
In response, the government has pointed to recent increases, including a 22% uplift awarded over two years. For the 2025–26 period, a further 5.4% has been proposed. However, the BMA argues this still falls far short of restoring fair pay and fails to address the underlying issue of long-term erosion.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has criticised the BMA’s position, describing the latest strike as unjustified. He warned it poses risks to patient safety and undermines the progress being made in NHS recovery efforts.
Strike Timeline & Scope
The current strike runs from 7 am on Friday 25 July to 7 am on Wednesday 30 July 2025. It spans NHS trusts across England, with significant regional participation expected throughout the five-day period.
The action includes resident doctors across all training grades, though incoming foundation year one (FY1) doctors have been exempted. This is to allow them to complete vital induction and shadowing during their first week in post.
Estimates suggest that up to 50,000 doctors could be taking part in the strike, making it one of the largest walkouts to date in this ongoing dispute.
Impact on NHS Services & Patient Care
The NHS has put measures in place to maintain critical services during the strike. Emergency departments, urgent care, and GP practices remain operational. Where staffing allows, some elective procedures and outpatient appointments are continuing as planned to minimise disruption.
Patients have been advised to attend their scheduled appointments unless contacted directly by their NHS provider. For non-urgent health concerns, NHS 111 online remains the recommended first port of call. As always, 999 and A&E should be used in life-threatening emergencies only.
Previous strikes have led to the cancellation of over a million appointments. This time, NHS England expects to preserve around 95% of services by relying on senior clinicians, redeployed staff, and derogation agreements to cover essential areas. However, the cost of doing so is significant that some hospitals are reportedly paying consultants up to £8,000 per strike shift to ensure safe staffing levels.
Public & Political Reaction
Public support for the strikes has declined. A recent YouGov poll shows that only 34% of respondents back the action, while 52% oppose it. Fatigue around repeated walkouts and concern over disruption to care appear to be influencing sentiment.
Reaction from stakeholders has been mixed. While some express understanding for the doctors’ concerns around pay and working conditions, others emphasise the toll on patient care and the need for a resolution that prioritises service continuity.
Politically, the strikes have fuelled debate around proposed legal changes to industrial action. Government plans to loosen strike-ballot thresholds and shorten required notice periods have become increasingly contentious, especially as health sector disputes continue to escalate.
Human Voices & Frontline Perspectives
On picket lines across the country, resident doctors have spoken candidly about the pressures they face. One doctor in Leeds described colleagues being “burnt out, demoralised, and stretched too thin”, warning that without meaningful action, the NHS risks “collapsing under its own weight”.
Melissa Ryan, co-chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, has emphasised that the strike is not without compassion. She noted that safety remains paramount, and the union has supported derogations in critical areas such as neonatal and intensive care, where patient welfare justifies exemptions from walkouts.
These personal accounts reflect the wider tension between a workforce demanding fair treatment and a healthcare system already under considerable strain.
Next Steps & Outlook
As the five-day walkout begins, negotiations remain stalled. Despite the BMA signalling a willingness to return to the table, no new offer has emerged from the government. Unless a credible proposal is made before or during the strike, the dispute looks set to persist.
The BMA’s current mandate allows for continued industrial action up to 7 January 2026, meaning further strike dates remain a live possibility. With little sign of movement, both sides appear entrenched, prolonging uncertainty for doctors, patients and the wider NHS.
There are also broader concerns. Other healthcare unions are watching closely. If the impasse deepens, there’s a growing risk that the unrest could spill into parallel disputes, further straining staffing, morale and service delivery across the health service.
The resident doctor strikes represent a flashpoint in a much deeper conflict over pay, recognition, and the long-term sustainability of the NHS workforce. With no resolution in sight, the current five-day walkout underscores the growing frustration among frontline staff and the mounting pressure on the government to respond meaningfully. As negotiations remain stalled and the potential for further strikes looms, the challenge ahead lies not just in breaking the deadlock, but in rebuilding trust, restoring morale, and securing a future for the NHS that retains and values its doctors in training.
