Resident Doctors: End of Industrial Action
House of Commons · Written Statements · 29 Jun 2026 · 1 speech · Official Report
I am pleased to inform the House that the Government and the British Medical Association’s resident doctors committee have agreed a deal to resolve their dispute on pay and training places, bringing an end to a period of industrial action that has seen 21 days of strike action in the past year. This follows a referendum of all resident doctor members of the BMA, in which a majority voted to accept the deal. The deal is fair to doctors, affordable for the taxpayer and in the best interests of patients. Resident doctors will benefit from improved pay scales, better working conditions, enhanced career progression, and up to 4,500 new training places over the next three years. I am incredibly grateful to staff across the NHS who have kept the NHS going during the recent rounds of industrial action. The absence of strikes by resident doctors will allow the NHS to focus on supporting patients and improving working conditions for all staff, rather than managing disruptive industrial action. When unions and the Government work together, patients, staff, and services benefit. The deal means resident doctors will be on average 35.2% better off than they were four years ago. It also means resident doctors will benefit from pay structure reform, leading to more frequent pay progression as they develop and gain additional skills which benefits the health service. Up to 4,500 additional training places will also be created, giving more resident doctors the opportunity to progress in their...