A nationwide strike planned by resident doctors in England next week may be avoided after ministers put forward a revised offer to the British Medical Association (BMA). The union has agreed to present the proposal to its members over the coming days, raising the possibility that the five-day walkout scheduled to begin on Wednesday, 17 December, could be suspended.
Under the new proposal, the government has pledged a significant increase in specialist training positions and additional support for professional expenses, including exam fees. However, the offer does not include any further pay rise — something Health Secretary Wes Streeting has repeatedly ruled out, arguing that resident doctors (previously known as junior doctors) have already received pay increases totalling nearly 30% across the past three years.
One of the central elements of the deal involves fast-tracked legislation that would allow the NHS to prioritise doctors who trained and worked in the UK when allocating highly competitive specialist training posts. These positions, which resident doctors apply for in their third year, saw intense competition this year, with 30,000 applicants chasing only 10,000 posts. Under current rules, UK-trained and overseas-trained doctors are assessed on the same basis.
The government also plans to create 4,000 additional specialist training posts, with the first 1,000 scheduled to become available next year.
The BMA confirmed that resident doctors in England will now be consulted through an online survey closing on Monday, 15 December, to determine whether the new proposal is enough to postpone the planned industrial action. Should members signal support for halting the strike, a formal referendum would follow, giving doctors an opportunity to review the full terms before voting on whether to accept the offer and end the long-running dispute.
If members conclude that the offer is insufficient, the strike will proceed as planned.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, said the proposal was a direct result of sustained pressure from the workforce.
“This offer has only been achieved because thousands of resident doctors were willing to stand up for the future of their profession,” he said.
“It should never have required strike action to get to this point, but it is clear that without it, we would not have secured these commitments on training capacity and prioritisation.
“However, the offer still fails to address the core issue of pay restoration — something the government is fully capable of delivering.”