Resident doctors in England have cancelled a four-day strike scheduled to begin at 07:00 BST on Monday, after the government tabled a last-minute offer that the British Medical Association (BMA) says it will put to members in a referendum. The walkout, which would have been the 16th in the long-running dispute since 2023, was called off on Saturday after talks that stretched into the weekend.
The offer, described by the BMA’s Dr Jack Fletcher as “appropriate to put to our members”, includes an average 6.6% pay uplift to be fully implemented by April 2027, 4,500 extra training places for newly qualified doctors, and coverage of exam fees. Government sources said the proposal also promises faster increases in pay scales next year, but stressed there is no extra money for this year. Resident doctors have already received pay rises worth 33% over the past four years, lifting starting salaries to just over £40,000 and basic pay for the most senior to £76,500, though the BMA argues they are still paid a fifth less than in 2008 when adjusted for inflation.
“Resident doctors in England call off four-day strike after government offers average 6.6% pay uplift.”
“This should not have been left to the last moment, but we hold up our end of the bargain when the government shifts its position,” said Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee. “Tens of thousands of frontline doctors will now vote in a referendum on whether this offer is sufficient. If they say no, we will have to continue our plans for further escalated action across next month.”
Health Secretary James Murray called the suspension “a positive and welcome development – especially for patients” and said the country “simply cannot afford to increase the pay offer for this year”. He added that the deal is a “chance to draw a line under the damaging disputes of recent years”.
Despite the last-minute cancellation, NHS England had already warned of disruption: 95% of operations and appointments were due to go ahead, but thousands have been postponed. Hospitals now face a tough task to reinstate them on the original timetable. Prof Frankie Swords, national medical director at NHS England, had previously warned the service faced a “triple whammy of pressure” as the planned strike would have coincided with warm weather and the World Cup.
Sir Ciarán Devane, chief executive of the NHS Alliance, called the suspension a “vital chance to reset the conversation” and urged both sides to strike a “fair, sustainable agreement”. The referendum result will determine whether further strikes, which the BMA had planned to escalate, go ahead.