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Resident doctors in England have voted to accept a government offer on pay and working conditions, bringing an end to a year of industrial action, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed.
The decision concludes a dispute that saw the British Medical Association (BMA) Resident Doctor Committee orchestrate 21 days of strikes since July 2025.
The new agreement includes the implementation of standard 2016 resident doctor contract terms for all locally employed medics.
Furthermore, an average pay uplift of 6.6 per cent is set to be fully rolled out by April 2027.
The deal also promises 4,500 additional specialty training places over the next three years.
The new agreement includes the implementation of standard 2016 resident doctor contract terms for all locally employed medics (Ben Birchall/PA)
According to the DHSC, this package will result in resident doctor pay being, on average, 35.2 per cent higher than it was four years ago.
Health Secretary James Murray said: “This is very good news for resident doctors, patients and the NHS as a whole, allowing us to draw a line under the disruption of previous months and focus on getting on with the job of rebuilding our health service.
“Because of this deal, resident doctors will benefit from a new pay structure, better career progression opportunities and a range of other improved conditions to support them as they rotate and train. Patients will be relieved that the NHS is entering a period of greater stability.
“But this is the beginning, not the end of the journey. I know there is much more to do, and I am determined to keep working constructively with resident doctors, all NHS staff, and the unions who represent them to improve their working lives and together build a health service that is fit for the future.”
Health Secretary James Murray (Maja Smiejkowska/PA)
The online vote for resident doctors ran from June 18 to June 26.
The BMA had also warned that if they choose to reject the deal, strikes would “have to escalate in intensity”.
Thousands of resident doctors in England were set to stage a four-day walkout on June 15, which would have been the 16th round of strike action since 2023.
But it was called off on June 13 after the offer was made.
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