Next NHS Doctors Strike 2026: Latest England Update
• March 27, 2026
Editorial note: This article is updated when the British Medical Association, NHS England or the UK Government announces a material change to resident-doctor industrial action in England.
Health information notice: This article provides general information about NHS services and industrial action. It is not medical advice. Anyone needing urgent medical help should use NHS 111, call 999 in a life-threatening emergency or attend A&E when appropriate.
Quick Answer:
As of 1 July 2026, no further nationwide resident-doctor strike has been announced in England.
The BMA’s resident doctors committee accepted the government’s latest offer after members voted in favour of it. The result brought the formal dispute over pay and training places to an end and stopped the planned June industrial action from proceeding.
However, the BMA has said that full pay restoration remains its policy. This means another dispute could arise in the future if pay improvements do not continue or the agreed measures are not implemented.
Are Resident Doctors Still Striking in England?
Resident doctors in England are not currently taking nationwide strike action.
The latest formal dispute ended when BMA members accepted the revised government offer on 29 June 2026. According to the official BMA referendum result, 17,410 members voted to accept the offer and 15,522 voted against it.
A total of 32,932 votes were cast from 57,502 eligible voters, producing a turnout of 57.3%.
The close result shows that a substantial proportion of participating doctors remained dissatisfied. Nevertheless, accepting the offer ended the current formal dispute and the associated strike action.
Latest Strike Status
- Next strike date: No new nationwide date announced
- Area covered: England
- Doctors involved: Resident doctors, previously called junior doctors
- Current status: The latest offer has been accepted
- Previous strike: 7–13 April 2026
- Cancelled strike: 15–19 June 2026
- Deal accepted: 29 June 2026
Why Was the June 2026 Doctors’ Strike Called Off?
Resident doctors had originally planned another walkout from 7am on 15 June until 6:59am on 19 June 2026.
The June action would have been the sixteenth round of industrial action in the dispute. However, it was called off shortly before it was due to begin after the government submitted a revised offer.
The BMA announced on 13 June that it would suspend the planned strike while members considered the new proposal. The June strike cancellation prevented the expected disruption to hospital services.
The referendum opened on 18 June and closed on 26 June. The acceptance result was announced on 29 June.
What Pay and Jobs Deal Did Resident Doctors Accept?
The accepted agreement covers more than the annual headline pay award. It includes changes to pay progression, specialty training places, employment conditions and some professional costs.
According to the BMA’s offer summary, the principal measures include:
- an average 6.6% pay uplift to be delivered fully by April 2027;
- changes to pay points and career progression;
- additional specialty training places over three years;
- improved contractual arrangements for locally employed doctors;
- reimbursement of eligible examination costs;
- support with portfolio and membership fees;
- improved progression for doctors working less than full time; and
- higher flexible pay premia for clinical academics.
The precise financial effect will vary according to a doctor’s grade, existing pay point, training route and personal circumstances.
How Much Will Resident Doctors’ Pay Increase?
All eligible resident doctors will receive the 3.5% award recommended through the Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body process, backdated to April 2026.
Further changes to the pay structure will provide an additional uplift for eligible doctors. Across the affected pay points, the BMA describes the agreement as delivering an average increase of 6.6% by April 2027, before the separate 2027 pay-review award is applied.
The percentage is an average rather than a guaranteed increase for every doctor.
The detailed NHS England pay explanation states that:
- Foundation Year 1 doctors are expected to receive a 6.2% increase in 2026/27;
- Foundation Year 2 doctors are expected to receive a 7.1% increase in 2026/27;
- other resident doctors may receive between 3.5% and 5.1% in 2026/27; and
- the increase by 2027/28 may range from 3.5% to 9.8%, depending on individual circumstances.
Annual pay-review recommendations may produce additional changes.
What Will Change for Training Places and Career Progression?
Job availability and access to specialist training were important parts of the dispute.
Some doctors complete foundation training but cannot immediately secure a suitable specialty training post. Competition for available positions can leave doctors working in temporary or locally employed roles while they wait for another opportunity.
The agreement provides for at least 4,000 additional training places over three years:
- 1,000 places in 2027;
- 1,500 places in the following year; and
- another 1,500 places in the third year.
Up to 500 further places may be added during the second and third years, depending on patient need, service requirements and available training capacity. This is why some summaries describe the commitment as 4,500 places.
The offer also gives resident doctors representation within the group responsible for advising how the new training places should be distributed.
What Does the Deal Mean for Locally Employed Doctors?
Locally employed doctors work for individual NHS organisations but do not necessarily hold recognised training posts.
The agreement proposes a national contract based on the 2016 resident-doctor terms and conditions, adjusted where necessary for doctors who are not formally in training.
It also includes the use of substantive contracts to improve job security and structured support to help locally employed doctors demonstrate the competencies required for career progression.
The objective is to create clearer routes into specialty training or other established NHS medical careers.
Will Examination and Professional Fees Be Covered?
Eligible resident doctors will receive greater support with mandatory professional costs.
The accepted offer provides funding for the first two attempts at eligible Royal College examinations for doctors in training and locally employed doctors in England. The reimbursement applies to qualifying examinations taken from 1 April 2026.
Eligible portfolio fees are expected to be covered from April 2027. The agreement also includes provisions relating to relevant membership fees, although the exact categories will be decided through further implementation work involving the BMA, NHS England and the government.
These measures matter because examinations, portfolios and professional memberships can create substantial additional costs during medical training.
What Happened During the April 2026 Doctors’ Strike?
Resident doctors took strike action from 7am on Tuesday 7 April until 6:59am on Monday 13 April 2026.
It was a six-day walkout and the fifteenth round of industrial action in the dispute that began in 2023. The action affected NHS organisations across England.
Hospitals were required to prioritise urgent and emergency treatment while trying to maintain as much planned care as possible. According to NHS England’s April guidance, cancer services, maternity care, emergency departments and urgent surgery remained priorities during the action.
Patients were advised to attend planned appointments unless their NHS provider contacted them to rearrange the appointment.
The April walkout should now be described as a previous strike rather than an upcoming event.
Why Did Resident Doctors Take Industrial Action?
The dispute involved both pay and career opportunities.
Resident doctors and the BMA argued that medical pay had fallen substantially in real terms compared with 2008. They maintained that recent pay awards had not fully reversed the effects of inflation and earlier below-inflation increases.
Other concerns included:
- insufficient specialty training places;
- competition and bottlenecks affecting career progression;
- uncertain employment for locally employed doctors;
- professional examination and portfolio costs;
- working conditions within NHS organisations; and
- the structure and timing of pay progression.
The government maintained that its offers represented meaningful improvements to pay, career progression and training opportunities.
The final agreement addressed some of these matters, but the BMA has not abandoned its wider campaign for full pay restoration.
Could Resident Doctors Strike Again in 2026?
Another resident-doctor strike in England is possible in principle, but no further national dates have been announced as of 1 July 2026.
Acceptance of the offer ended the current formal dispute. It does not permanently prevent the BMA from opening a different dispute or balloting members again.
The BMA has warned that future disagreement could emerge if:
- annual pay awards do not continue improving doctors’ earnings;
- agreed training places are not delivered;
- job bottlenecks remain unresolved;
- employment reforms are delayed; or
- the implementation of the accepted deal does not match the agreed terms.
Any new nationwide action would normally require a valid industrial-action ballot and a separate formal announcement. Readers should therefore check the BMA, NHS England and local NHS trust websites rather than relying on old strike calendars.
What Should Patients Do If Another NHS Strike Is Announced?
Patients should not assume that an appointment has been cancelled simply because industrial action is taking place.
During previous strikes, NHS England advised patients to:
- attend appointments unless contacted and told that they have been postponed;
- check messages from their hospital, clinic or local NHS trust;
- use NHS 111 online for urgent but non-life-threatening problems;
- call 999 in a life-threatening emergency;
- attend A&E when emergency treatment is genuinely required; and
- continue requesting medical help when it is needed.
Emergency departments, maternity services and other urgent services generally continue operating during industrial action, although waiting times may be longer.
Local arrangements can differ, so information from the NHS organisation providing the treatment should take priority.
What Does the Agreement Mean for the NHS?
The agreement removes the immediate threat of further nationwide resident-doctor strikes in England.
It may also help the NHS address some longer-term workforce issues by expanding training opportunities, improving progression and offering more consistent conditions to locally employed doctors.
However, implementation will be important. Training places require appropriate supervisors, funding and service capacity. Changes to contracts and reimbursement arrangements also need to be translated into practical rules for NHS employers.
The narrow referendum result suggests that the agreement has not removed every concern among resident doctors. Future relations are likely to depend on whether the government and NHS employers deliver the agreed measures and whether subsequent pay reviews maintain progress.
Conclusion
No new nationwide resident-doctor strike is currently scheduled in England.
The six-day April 2026 walkout took place as planned, but the later strike scheduled for 15–19 June was called off after the government submitted a revised offer. BMA members accepted that offer on 29 June 2026, bringing the current formal pay and jobs dispute to an end.
The agreement includes pay reform, additional training opportunities, improved arrangements for locally employed doctors and support with professional costs.
Patients should continue checking official NHS and BMA updates because industrial-action information can change quickly.
FAQs About the Next NHS Doctors Strike in 2026
Is there another NHS doctors’ strike planned in England?
No new nationwide resident-doctor strike has been announced in England as of 1 July 2026.
Did the April 2026 resident-doctor strike take place?
Yes. Resident doctors went on strike from 7am on 7 April until 6:59am on 13 April 2026.
Was there going to be another strike in June 2026?
Yes. A strike was planned for 15–19 June, but the BMA called it off after receiving a revised government offer.
Have resident doctors accepted the government’s offer?
Yes. The BMA announced on 29 June that 52.9% of participating members had voted to accept it.
How much will resident doctors’ pay rise?
The offer produces an average 6.6% uplift by April 2027, but the exact increase depends on grade, pay point and individual circumstances.
Does the agreement permanently prevent future strikes?
No. The current dispute has ended, but the BMA can enter a future dispute and ballot members again if new disagreements arise.
Should patients attend appointments during any future strike?
Yes. Patients should attend unless their NHS provider contacts them to postpone or rearrange the appointment.
How We Checked This Information?
This article was checked on 1 July 2026 against current information published by:
- The British Medical Association
- The Department of Health and Social Care
- NHS England
- NHS England’s patient guidance
Strike dates and negotiations can change. The article should be checked again whenever the BMA, NHS England or the government publishes a new announcement.
