The British Medical Association and the government have reached a ‘greater mutual understanding’ after constructive talks yesterday (5 August).
The doctors’ union met with health secretary Wes Streeting and said there would be “further cooperation on bringing strike action to an end” and that they would work together to address the BMA’s pay demands.
At the end of July, resident (formerly known as junior) doctors in England walked out for five days. They are looking for a 29.2% salary increase in a bid to reach “full pay restoration” and offset a real-terms decline in pay since 2008.
The strike itself had a limited impact on patient care, according to NHS England, which reported a 93% level of planned care maintenance during the strike.
Resident doctors’ strikes
Ross Nieuwoudt and Melissa Ryan, co-chairs of the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee (RDC), described the meeting with the health secretary as “informative” and “constructive”.
The RDC added that it was eager to work with the Department of Health and Social Care in finding a way forward.
Nieuwoudt and Ryan said: “We met yesterday with Mr Streeting to once again reiterate what is needed to bring this dispute to an end. We were very clear about the determination of resident doctors to return to a fair level of pay.
“Our conversation was informative and we feel that we have achieved a greater mutual understanding than in previous talks. We have agreed a window for negotiations, which we hope the government will use wisely.
“We want to work with the Department for Health and Social Care to deliver on non-pay items it previously agreed to, and to forge mutual respect following years when the previous incumbents seemingly cared little for doctors’ pay or wellbeing.
Following a constructive meeting with @BMAResidents reps yesterday, we’ve agreed a window for negotiations without strikes in August to see if a resolution can be reached.
Let’s see if we can build a spirit of partnership to build an NHS that works for patients and staff alike.
— Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) August 6, 2025
“We are clear, though, that going forward there has to be movement on pay.”
The RDC is also keen to address what it describes as the “doctor unemployment crisis” looming due to skyrocketing competition for specialty training places, the traditional pathway for doctors to follow when they complete their foundation training.
They added: “We also reminded Mr Streeting of the urgent need to provide enough jobs for doctors and bring an end to the current situation where thousands of resident doctors apply for far too few roles, leaving many unable to progress their careers and go on to be our future consultants, GPs and other specialist doctors.
“We are working to ensure strike action does not need to be repeated and will give time to explore solutions. However, doctors and patients both deserve a resolution sooner rather than later.”
On X, Streeting posted: “Following a constructive meeting with @BMAResidents reps yesterday, we’ve agreed a window for negotiations without strikes in August to see if a resolution can be reached.
“Let’s see if we can build a spirit of partnership to build an NHS that works for patients and staff alike.”
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