Doctors begin a five-day strike as hospitals struggle with flu pressure and growing patient disruption
Hospitals across England are bracing for widespread disruption as resident doctors began a five-day strike at 07:00 on Wednesday, compounding the pressure of a surging flu wave that is already stretching the NHS to its limits.
Patients have been warned to expect delays and cancellations, particularly for non-urgent care, as NHS leaders admit they are struggling to maintain services at the levels achieved during previous walkouts. NHS England said the timing could not be worse, with hospitals dealing with record numbers of flu patients for this point in the winter.
This is the 14th strike by resident doctors, the group formerly known as junior doctors, in a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions. Resident doctors make up nearly half of the NHS medical workforce, meaning their absence is felt across both emergency and routine services.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting accused the British Medical Association of deliberately timing the strike to inflict maximum damage on the health service. He said the action puts patients at risk at a moment when hospitals are already under immense strain.
Embed from Getty Images
Streeting said the combination of flu and industrial action amounted to a “double whammy” for the NHS in the busiest period of the year. He added that the government had worked until the last possible moment to avert the strike but failed to reach a breakthrough.
Talks between the government and the British Medical Association took place on Tuesday afternoon and were described by ministers as constructive. However, officials confirmed that insufficient progress had been made to halt the walkout. The BMA said it would continue to work with NHS leaders to ensure patient safety during the strike.
During previous strikes in July and November, NHS England said it managed to keep most non-urgent operations and treatments running. This time, officials say the situation is far more fragile. Hospitals are already full, staff sickness is rising, and flu admissions continue to climb.
Medical director Professor Meghana Pandit said the strikes were arriving at an “immensely challenging time” for the health service. She confirmed that staff would once again step up to protect patient safety but warned that more people would feel the impact of this round of action than in recent months.
She also highlighted the personal cost to staff drafted in to cover striking colleagues, many of whom will now lose the chance to spend Christmas with their families.
While urgent and emergency care will remain available, NHS England confirmed that some disruption is unavoidable. GP practices are expected to stay open, but services may be slower than usual. Patients have been advised to use NHS 111 online for urgent but non-life-threatening issues.
In some areas, the impact will be more visible. Cheltenham General Hospital has announced that its emergency department will close to emergency cases during the strike, remaining open only for minor injuries. Patients needing urgent care will be redirected to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
Hospitals have also raised concerns about patient discharge delays. With resident doctors walking out, those still working will focus on maintaining emergency cover, making it harder to free up beds ahead of Christmas.
The strike is going ahead despite a new offer from the government last week. The proposal included increasing the number of speciality training posts and covering certain out-of-pocket expenses, such as exam fees. The BMA said the offer failed to address core concerns about pay erosion and career progression.
Competition for training posts has become increasingly fierce. This year, around 30,000 applicants competed for just 10,000 speciality training roles. Some of those applicants were international doctors, further intensifying the pressure.
Dr Tom Twentyman, who failed to secure an emergency medicine training post, described the process as an “absolute nightmare”. He said job adverts were sometimes removed within hours after receiving hundreds of applications.
As the strike unfolds, NHS leaders face the task of holding services together while flu cases continue to rise. With winter pressures mounting and negotiations unresolved, the next five days are expected to test the resilience of hospitals, staff and patients alike.