Resident doctors have voted to accept an offer from the government, bringing an end to a period of industrial action that has seen 21 days of strikes by the British Medical Association Resident Doctor Committee since July 2025.
The Government will continue to engage closely with the BMA and other stakeholders to implement this deal and establish a new working relationship, to ensure the NHS remains a place where doctors can thrive and develop rewarding, long-term careers.
The conclusion 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.
Health and Social Care Secretary James Murray said
This is very good news for resident doctors, patients and the NHS as a whole, allowing us to draw a line under the disruption of previous months and focus on getting on with the job of rebuilding our health service.
Because of this deal, resident doctors will benefit from a new pay structure, better career progression opportunities and a range of other improved conditions to support them as they rotate and train. Patients will be relieved that the NHS is entering a period of greater stability.
But this is the beginning, not the end of the journey. I know there is much more to do, and I am determined to keep working constructively with resident doctors, all NHS staff, and the unions who represent them to improve their working lives and together build a health service that is fit for the future.
The deal means resident doctor pay will be 35.2% higher on average compared to 4 years ago. They will also benefit from pay structure reform, leading to more frequent wage rises as they progress and gain new skills which benefit the health service.
Up to 4,500 additional training places will also be created, giving more resident doctors the opportunity to progress in their careers to more senior roles. Competition rates for training places have already halved this year following action from the Government to put in place urgent legislation to prioritise UK graduates and those who have spent a significant period in the NHS.
The deal will also put money back in resident doctors’ pockets through the reimbursement of mandatory Royal College portfolio fees and mandatory examinations costs, often worth thousands of pounds, and improve working conditions for Locally Employed Doctors (LEDs) and those who work Less Than Full Time (LTFT).
NHS National Medical Director Professor Frankie Swords said
It’s great news for patients and the NHS that resident doctors have accepted this offer. This means the NHS can focus on providing high quality care for patients and the best working environment for all of our staff – including important improvements for resident doctors – and we can avoid further disruption from strikes.
As ever, staff are focused on the job of caring for patients, delivering record numbers of tests and checks despite facing record demand on services due to the warm weather.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of NHS staff, despite repeated rounds of strike action, waiting lists are over 400,000 lower than in June 2024. The Government is committed to building on the progress already made – cutting waiting lists further and continuing to improve conditions for the staff who make the NHS work, in partnership with them.
Each day of strike action by resident doctors costs the NHS around £50 million. The cost of settling this dispute is a fraction of the cost of ongoing industrial action by resident doctors and prevents thousands of appointments and procedures being cancelled on each day of strike action.
The Government is committed to improving working conditions for all NHS staff. The NHS Staff Council has been issued with a mandate to negotiate changes to the Agenda for Change pay structure, to ensure that nurses, midwives, and paramedics are fairly compensated for the invaluable work they do.
The Government has also been working constructively with trade unions to discuss options for consultant contract reform and SAS career progression, in recognition of the valuable contribution of senior NHS doctors.
Thanks to record investment, modernisation and the remarkable efforts of NHS staff across the country, we are making the NHS fit for the future.
