Wes Streeting has failed in his bid to end a long-running resident doctors dispute by offering them a new deal, meaning their five-day strike next week is expected to continue.
The Minister of Health presented a new proposal to resident doctors – former junior doctors – in England on Wednesday they made a move designed to avoid a strike, their 13th.
But the British Medical Association's standing committee of doctors (RDC) rejected Streeting's attempt to use an olive branch and said his proposal was too limited for them to reverse their action.
Streeting has pledged to double his previous offer and create 1,000 additional places for aspiring doctors to receive specialist training in their chosen branch of medicine. Half of the 2,000 will be allocated this year to help address the problem preventing resident physicians from becoming specialists, he said.
Besides, National Health Service would put more money in the pockets of resident doctors by paying exam fees and membership fees to the professional bodies to which they belong.
However, Streeting ruled out the possibility of them raising wages further in 2025-26, citing tight government finances and the 28.9% pay rise they received from 2023 to explain their failure to do so. Most of this growth has occurred since the Labor Party came to power in July 2024.
But Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the RDC, rejected Streeting's proposal and said it would still leave too many doctors unable to advance their careers and effectively left unemployed.
“It doesn’t go far enough,” he said. “Even with this proposal, thousands of doctors will still not be able to find work. Thirty thousand doctors have applied for 10 thousand doctors. [training] places this year – [so] Another 1,000 people will not fix this crisis and will not even come close.
“Whatever this proposal is about, Mr Streeting still does not understand the gravity of the situation: doctors are facing unemployment and patients are unable to see a doctor.”
He called on Streeting to offer resident doctors a multi-year pay deal that would allow them over time to recover the significant loss in value of their salaries since 2006, although he did not specify what 29% increase the BMA was seeking. The 2.5% pay rise that Streeting has proposed for 2026-27 would be another real pay cut, he added.
“Strikes can still be avoided, but it will first require a willingness to offer a wage deal and a real solution to the jobs problem,” Fletcher said.
