The British Medical Association has announced that resident doctors will strike between 7am on Wednesday 17 December until 7am on Monday 22 December 2025.

During these strikes, all other NHS staff (including consultants and other specialist doctors) will still be working, and our focus will be on ensuring as many services as possible continue to operate safely. 

What is a resident doctor?

Resident doctors are fully qualified doctors who are either currently in postgraduate training or gaining experience as locally employed doctors, to become the consultants, GPs or specialists of tomorrow. They form the largest single group in the UK’s medical workforce, with many having more than a decade of experience as highly qualified professionals.

Prioritising patients most in need

There may be fewer doctors working than usual, and they will need to prioritise life saving care. Less urgent cases may experience longer waits during strikes.

Our teams are doing their very best to prioritise those in need. Thank you for your understanding during this period.

Appointments 

We will do our best to only cancel appointments where it is necessary. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned. We will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action.

Here’s how you can help

There are a number of ways you can help us care for people who need it most. 

  • Please choose services appropriately during industrial action and take simple steps to help ensure care is available to patients who need it most. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs, and only using 999 if it is a serious or life-threatening emergency. For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to the Emergency Department, you can visit our Use the Right Service pages.
  • If you’re caring for vulnerable people, such as the elderly, children and people with long-term conditions, get in touch with your GP if you have concerns about accessing medical care
  • If you have a loved one who is in hospital, please help them to return home as soon as they are ready to be discharged.