Thousands of resident doctors have begun strike action across England in a dispute over pay.
The five-day action, which began at 7am on Friday, is the 13th walkout by doctors since March 2023 and health leaders have warned that the NHS may have to cut frontline staff and offer fewer appointments and operations if the strikes continue.
The NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, which represent health trusts, said continued action was piling pressure on already-stretched budgets. The last industrial action in July was estimated to have cost the health service £300m.
Patients would be forced to wait longer for care, and many may no longer be able to work without the treatment they needed, they said.
The groups also warned that strikes were affecting the progress in bringing down waiting lists. Figures on Thursday showed early signs the waiting list was dropping, with September seeing a slight fall after three consecutive months of rises.
When resident doctors last went on strike, more than 54,000 procedures and appointments were cancelled or rescheduled, despite the NHS maintaining 93% of planned activity.
The NHS Confederation’s chief executive, Matthew Taylor, said: “There is no doubt that patients will bear the brunt of this disruption, with tens of thousands of tests, appointments and operations likely to be delayed or cancelled.
“NHS leaders understand how frustrating this will be for them being left waiting in pain or discomfort, not knowing when their treatment will be rescheduled.
“With flu already beginning to bite there is a real risk that these strikes will leave the NHS limping into a very difficult winter at a time when it is trying to recover performance and implement vital long-term reforms.”
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The health secretary, Wes Streeting, has refused to budge on pay for resident doctors, arguing they have received an almost 30% rise over three years. But the BMA argues doctors need a 26% pay increase to restore their earnings, once inflation is taken into account.
On Thursday, the union said doctors must not be called off the picket lines to cover planned NHS work during the strike. The BMA said it would not agree to “derogations” – where resident doctors are asked to leave the strike and work when patient safety is at risk – unless NHS trusts have already cancelled planned activity and “incentivised” other medics to provide cover.
NHS England is urging patients to continue to seek care and attend any planned appointments unless they hear otherwise.
Patients who need emergency help should continue to use 999 or A&E as normal, while NHS 111 is available alongside usual GP services.
