Why are resident doctors striking and what do they earn?

Resident doctors in England have announced a five-day strike before Christmas starting on 17 December.

It’s the 14th strike since the long-running pay dispute began in March 2023, and follows an earlier five-day walkout in mid-November.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the latest action was planned to “cause maximum disruption” and was “a cynical attempt to wreck Christmas”. But the British Medical Association (BMA) said doctors had been left with no choice given the lack of a credible pay offer from government.

Resident doctors are qualified doctors who have completed a medical degree.

They make up around half of all doctors in England, and work across the NHS including in A&E and GP surgeries.

After their initial degree, many choose to specialise in a particular area of medicine or surgery.

They used to be known as junior doctors, but in September 2024 the government agreed to change the name of their role to better reflect their expertise.

Full training can take a long time, so although some resident doctors may have only recently finished medical school, others could have more than a decade of practical experience and be responsible for most aspects of care.

During their first foundation year after finishing their medical degree, resident doctors in England earn a basic salary of £38,831. In their second year, this rises to £44,439.

Medics are often expected to work night shifts, weekends and longer hours, for which they receive extra payments.

After eight years or more, resident doctor salaries can progress to around £73,000.

In 2023 and 2024, they received pay rises totalling 22%, and in 2025 got an additional 5.4%.

The BMA has called a series of strikes in England over pay and working conditions since 2023.

It argues that resident doctors’ pay is 20% lower in real terms than it was in 2008, even after the 2025 increase.

The government uses the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation to calculate public sector pay increases.

However, the BMA says many resident doctors have large student loans and that interest on these is calculated using a different inflation measure called RPI, which is higher.

Using the CPI measure, the government says resident doctors’ current pay is fair.

But analysis from the Nuffield Trust think tank suggests pay has fallen 5% since 2008 if CPI is used, compared with nearly 20% with RPI.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting says resident doctors have received the largest pay rises of any public sector employees over the last three years – totalling nearly 30% – and insists the government won’t offer any further increases.

In October the union rejected a fresh offer to cover mandatory exam fees and increase the number of specialist training posts by an extra 2,000 places.

These are roles which many doctors apply for two years after qualification.

In 2025, there were more than 30,000 applicants for 10,000 jobs, although some were foreign doctors.

The BMA argues that said that even after the expansion of places, many resident doctors would be left without a job at a crucial point of their training, and said the pay issue still needed to be addressed.

The union said it had told the government there would be no strikes for the foreseeable future if doctors were offered a multi-year deal “that restores pay over time”, and expressed disappointment at the lack of progress.

NHS bosses say the December strike is unfair to patients and other staff working for the NHS, at an extremely busy time of year.

They are urging both sides to get round the table and find a resolution.

The strike in England will last from 0700 GMT on Wednesday 17 December until 0700 on Monday 22 December.

The NHS is usually under huge pressure during that period, with rising flu cases and other winter infections doing the rounds.

It’s also a busy time for hospitals as they discharge as many patients as possible so they can be at home for Christmas.

The NHS has not yet given any specific advice to patients on what to do during the strike.

In previous strikes, patients were urged to come forward for care as usual.

That means anyone with a life-threatening emergency should call 999 and attend the emergency department if needed.

For urgent, non life-threatening issues the advice is to use the NHS 111 website or to call the helpline. GP surgeries will be open as normal.

During previous industrial action, hospitals were told they should only cancel routine appointments in exceptional circumstances.

But at such a busy time of year for hospitals and GP surgeries, appointments and operations are likely to be disrupted for thousand of patients.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not affected by this planned walk-out.

In May 2025, the government announced pay rises for a number of public sector workers, including:

• 4.5% for members of the UK armed forces, with 3.75% for senior military staff
• 4% for other doctors, dentists, and teachers in England, as well as prison officers in England and Wales
• 3.6% for some NHS staff in England, including nurses and midwives
• 3.25% for civil servants

However, because a medical degree can take five or six years to complete – longer than most other degree courses – the BMA argues resident doctors’ pay should reflect the fact that they may have more student debt than other graduates.

Resident doctors also have little control on where and when they are asked to work, and that the need to do placements in different parts of the country can be expensive.