Strikes by resident doctors in England will go ahead as planned after members of the British Medical Association (BMA) rejected a new offer from the Government.
Union members took part in an online poll over the weekend on whether or not the new deal was enough to call off the walkout.
The offer includes a fast expansion of specialist training posts as well as covering out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees, but does not include extra pay.
Strikes will GO AHEAD from 17-22 December, after resident doctors in England voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest offer from @wesstreeting. pic.twitter.com/3kaL2wn7Jx
— The BMA (@TheBMA) December 15, 2025
Members rejected the offer and as a result resident doctors will down their stethoscopes and stage a five-day strike starting at 7am on Wednesday.
It comes amid warnings of a “super flu” sweeping the nation, with flu cases in hospitals in England at a record level for this time of year.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting accused the union of “shocking disregard for patient safety” for choosing to stage a walkout “to inflict damage on the NHS at the moment of maximum danger”.
He said the strikes are “self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous”.
The BMA said that 83% of resident doctors voted to carry on with strike action while 17% said that the offer was enough.
Turnout was 65%, the union said.
Resident doctors make up just under half of the medical workforce in England.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said: “Our members have considered the Government’s offer, and their resounding response should leave the Health Secretary in no doubt about how badly he has just fumbled his opportunity to end industrial action.
“Tens of thousands of frontline doctors have come together to say ‘no’ to what is clearly too little, too late.
“This week’s strike is still entirely avoidable – the Health Secretary should now work with us in the short time we have left to come up with a credible offer to end this jobs crisis and avert the real-terms pay cuts he is pushing in 2026.
“We remain committed to ensuring patient safety, as we have done with all previous rounds of strike action, and urge hospital trusts to continue planning to ensure safe staffing.
“We will be in close contact with NHS England throughout the strikes to address safety concerns if they arise.”
Mr Streeting said: “The BMA has chosen Christmas strikes to inflict damage on the NHS at the moment of maximum danger, refusing to postpone them to January to help patients and other NHS staff cope over Christmas.
“There is no need for these strikes to go ahead this week, and it reveals the BMA’s shocking disregard for patient safety and for other NHS staff.
“These strikes are self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous.”
He went on: “The Government’s offer would have halved competition for jobs and put more money in resident doctors’ pockets, but the BMA has again rejected it because it doesn’t meet their ask of a further 26% pay rise.
“Resident doctors have already had a 28.9% pay rise – there is no justification for striking just because this fantasy demand has not been met.
“I am appealing to ordinary resident doctors to go to work this week.
“There is a different magnitude of risk in striking at this moment.
“Abandoning your patients in their hour of greatest need goes against everything a career in medicine is meant to be about.
“The entire focus of my department and the NHS team will now be on getting the health service through the double whammy of flu and strikes.”
Public support for the strikes is low, according to a YouGov poll released on Friday, with 58% of those asked either somewhat or strongly opposing the industrial action while 33% somewhat or strongly support it.
Hospital leaders said the strikes come as the NHS “needs all hands on deck”.
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “This vote is a bitter pill which will inevitably result in harm to patients and damage to the NHS.
“We had hoped that the Government’s recent updated offer would be enough to head off another walkout at a time when so many people are suffering with flu, and the NHS needs all hands on deck.
“Trust leaders and staff will be working now to minimise the impact of the strike, but sadly it will mean further disruption and delays, and a very difficult Christmas for the health service.”
Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: “It is bitterly disappointing that the BMA has rejected this offer and chosen to continue with hugely disruptive strikes.
“These strikes come at the worst possible time, with rapidly rising flu levels putting huge strain on hospitals.”
Figures released by the health service last week show that flu cases jumped by more than 55% in a week.
Some hospitals across the country have asked staff, patients and visitors to wear face masks to cut the spread of flu, while others have gone in and out of critical incident status due to the high number of people attending A&E.
Shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew said: “We Conservatives repeatedly warned Labour that by giving inflation-busting pay rises last year they would set a dangerous precedent.
“And now we see the consequences of their capitulation, with more disruption, more demands and no end in sight.”
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