The resident doctors are due to walk out for five days starting on Wednesday 17 December.

The offer on ending the jobs crisis for doctors in England includes:

• Emergency legislation in the New Year to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant experience working in the NHS for specialty training role
• The increase of specialty training posts over the next three years from the 1,000 announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, to 4,000. These posts will be repurposed from ‘locally employed' roles already present in the health service
• Bringing forward 1,000 of those training posts to start in 2026
• Funding mandatory Royal College examination and membership fees for resident doctors.

Health secretary, Wes Streeting, said: ‘I have been consistent, honest, and up front with resident doctors that we cannot go further on pay this year. There is a gap between what the BMA is demanding and what the country can afford.

‘Nor would further movement on pay be fair to other NHS staff, to whom I am also responsible, and many of whom will never in their careers earn as much as the lowest-paid doctor.

‘As I have made clear to the BMA and other trade unions, I am open to discussing multi-year pay deals with any trade union if we stand a chance of bridging the gap between affordability and expectations.

He added: ‘On jobs, I have much more sympathy with the BMA's demands. I have heard the very real fears resident doctors across the country have about their futures. It is a legitimate grievance that I agree with.'

The BMA is to consult resident doctor members in England on whether this offer would be sufficient to call off the next period of strikes. A survey of members will run online, closing on Monday 15 December.

BMA resident doctors committee chair, Dr Jack Fletcher, said: 'We have forced the Government to recognise the scale of the problems and to respond with measures on training numbers and prioritisation. However, this offer does not increase the overall number of doctors working in England and does nothing to restore pay for doctors, which remains well within the Government's power to do.

‘After their strike action succeeded in moving the Government from offering 1,000 training jobs to 4,000, as well as a plan on prioritisation for UK graduates and those who have worked in the NHS for some time, as a member-led organisation we are giving resident doctors their say.'

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Chief executive of NHS Providers, Daniel Elkeles, said: ‘This offer shows the government has been listening to genuine training concerns raised by the BMA and has come up with a constructive, sensible, and we hope, decisive solution.

‘The NHS is coming under enormous operational pressure and the possibility of further industrial action next week is a huge worry, particularly as we're facing a tidal wave of flu.'

Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: ‘It is very pleasing that the BMA is considering this new offer from the government to end this long-running dispute and potentially avert hugely disruptive strikes next week. These strikes would come at the worst possible time, with rapidly rising flu levels putting huge strain on hospitals, and despite NHS leaders working incredibly hard to prepare, we are concerned it could put patient safety at risk.

‘These strikes are disproportionate given the generous pay rises resident doctors have already had. We would urge resident doctors to seriously consider this offer, which aims to address access to speciality training places and concerns over exam and membership fees.'