Resident doctors in England have this morning (14 November) begun five days of strike action, which will continue until 7am on 19 November, as part of the ongoing dispute between the BMA and the government over pay and conditions.

NHS Confederation and NHS Providers warn that if strikes incur further costs this could result in staffing levels being cut or fewer tests, appointments and operations being carried out. This would risk jeopardising progress against key waiting time standards, including hitting the 18-week target for planned care.

The last five-day walk-out in July estimated to have cost the health service £300m; one of three unplanned cost pressures not included in the NHS's budget for 2025/26, along with redundancy costs and potentially higher drug prices.

In addition, more than 54,000 procedures and appointments needed to be cancelled or rescheduled, despite the NHS maintaining 93% of its planned activity.

NHS Confederation chief executive, Matthew Taylor, said: ‘The BMA must recognise that these strikes are disproportionate, given the current financial environment and fact resident doctors have already had one of the biggest pay rises in the public sector. We would urge them to call them off, moderate their demands to something achievable and re-enter negotiations.'

Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, added: ‘Even now there's a chance to step back.

‘Patients need to know every avenue was explored to stop another walkout. They are the ones who will bear the heaviest price of a failure to fix this dispute.'

In response, BMA resident doctors committee chair Dr Jack Fletcher, said: ‘This seems to be a case of NHS managers emotionally blackmailing frontline staff who are taking legitimate industrial action to defend their pay and conditions, and fight for employment.'

He said the Government can stop the strike ‘with a decent offer on pay and jobs'.

Dr Fletcher added: ‘Strikes need not go ahead, trusts need not lose money and patients need not have their appointments cancelled. All the Government needs to do is propose a deal that values doctors, allows them to offer their true potential across the NHS and keeps them in the workforce to continue treating patients. An investment in this will pay off dividends in the long run for the health of the population.'

Meanwhile, the NHS is urging patients to attend any planned appointments scheduled during the strikes unless they have been contacted to reschedule.

Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England national medical director, said: ‘Inevitably some appointments won't be able to go ahead as planned but we are doing everything possible to keep this to a minimum – and the last round of industrial action showed that, thanks to a strong collective effort, we were able to keep the vast majority of services going for patients.

‘In an emergency the public should still dial 999, and otherwise use 111 online, your local pharmacist or GP.'

Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care, said: ‘There is no doubt that strikes will cause some disruption for patients and the NHS staff left picking up the pieces. The fault for that lies squarely with the BMA, who refused to put the government's offer to its members.

‘The BMA could have secured more jobs and cut professional costs for resident doctors on top of the 28.9% pay rise they have already have thanks to this government, but they rejected it out of hand.

‘I urge resident doctors not to follow the BMA out on strike, come to work to give your patients the care they need, and let's continue rebuilding our NHS.'

This latest action will be the 13th round of strikes from resident doctors since March 2023, resulting in 54 days of disruption to NHS services.