Thousands of resident doctors in England have begun a five-day strike over pay and training shortages.
Thousands of doctors across England commenced a five-day strike on Friday in a renewed dispute over pay and limited training opportunities.
The walkout, which began at 0700 GMT, marks the 13th coordinated strike by medical personnel since March 2023. It involves resident doctors — those below consultant level — who make up roughly half of the National Health Service’s hospital workforce.
The action drew sharp criticism from Health Minister Wes Streeting, who accused the British Medical Association (BMA) of escalating tensions unnecessarily. “The leadership of the doctors’ union… is choosing confrontation over care,” he wrote in the Daily Telegraph. Streeting argued that the strike had shifted beyond fairness, noting doctors had already received “a 28.9 per cent pay rise over the last three years and the highest pay award across the entire public sector.”
The BMA, however, insists its members require a further 26 per cent pay increase to restore earnings to their real value of two decades ago. The union is also demanding more training posts, highlighting that more than 30,000 doctors have been competing for only 10,000 available positions required to progress towards consultant status.
The shortage has left many junior doctors without permanent roles despite years of medical training.
The strike unfolds amid the UK’s prolonged cost-of-living crisis, which has fuelled walkouts across various sectors, including teaching, transport, nursing, legal services, and border security.