Streeting 'deeply regrets' doctors' strike as five-day walkout begins
🏥 NHS Strikes: Health Secretary Warns of 'Jenga Piece' Collapse Amid Flu Surge
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has warned that a five-day strike by resident doctors (formerly known as junior doctors), which began at 07:00 on Wednesday, 17 December, could be the "Jenga piece" that causes the NHS to collapse this winter.
The walkout comes as hospitals grapple with a "nasty" mutated strain of flu, with hospital admissions jumping by 55% in a single week. Streeting described the situation as "precarious" and the "worst pressure" since the pandemic.
The Dispute: Pay and the 'Jobs Crisis'
This marks the 14th round of industrial action in a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions.
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The Pay Gap: The government maintains that resident doctors have received a 28.9% pay rise over the last three years (including 22% since the new government took office). However, the British Medical Association (BMA) argues that real-terms pay is still 20.9% lower than in 2008 due to inflation and is seeking a multi-year deal for full pay restoration.
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The Jobs Crisis: A major sticking point is the "bottleneck" in specialty training. Currently, about four doctors apply for every one training post.
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The Rejected Offer: Last week, the government offered a package that included:
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Emergency legislation to prioritise UK medical graduates for training posts.
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An increase in specialty training spots from 1,000 to 4,000 over three years.
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Funding for mandatory Royal College exam and membership fees, backdated to April.
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The Result: The BMA rejected the offer as "too little, too late" following an online survey of its members, leading to the current strike action.
Impact on Patients and Christmas
The strike is scheduled to run from 07:00 on Wednesday, 17 December, to 07:00 on Monday, 22 December.
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Service Disruption: While NHS England aims to maintain 95% of planned care, thousands of elective procedures and appointments are being postponed to allow senior consultants to cover emergency and urgent care.
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Christmas Delays: Hospital leaders have warned that the strike may prevent some patients from being discharged in time for Christmas, as the staff needed to process discharges are redirected to emergency wards.
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Flu Epidemic: Prof Meghana Pandit warned that this round of strikes is particularly dangerous because many staff covering the walkouts are "knackered" and will likely miss their own Christmas break with their families.
Advice for the Public
NHS bosses are urging the public to use services "wisely" during this period:
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Life-Threatening Emergencies: Call 999 or attend A&E as normal if you are seriously ill or injured.
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Urgent but Non-Emergency: Use 111 online as the first port of call.
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Routine Appointments: Attend your appointment as planned unless you are contacted directly by the NHS to reschedule.
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GP & Pharmacies: GP services and community pharmacies remain open and are the best option for non-urgent illnesses.
The BMA has stated it remains in contact with NHS England to address safety derogations—where doctors would cross the picket line to work if a major incident or life-threatening staffing shortage occurs.
