Public support for doctor strikes is declining
Most Britons are now opposed to resident doctors going on strike over pay, as currently scheduled to take place from Friday
Support: 34% (-5 from 27 May)Oppose: 52% (+4) pic.twitter.com/fcdfIsLvDO
— YouGov (@YouGov) July 21, 2025
Older people are more likely to be against, with 52% of those aged over 65 'strongly opposed', compared with 10% of those aged 18 to 24.
YouGov said the proportion supporting the strike over pay has dropped five points since it last asked the question in May.
Back then, 48% opposed resident doctors striking, while 39% supported them taking action.
It comes as the British Medical Association (BMA) condemned NHS England's plans for the health service during the five-day walkout, which begins at 7am on Friday.
NHS England has written to NHS bosses urging them not to cancel pre-planned care wherever possible.
The letter urges the health system to focus on maintaining emergency care, maintaining the flow of patients and 'maintaining elective care to the fullest extent possible' as well as 'priority treatments' such as cancer care.
'It will be important for systems and trusts to try and maintain normal levels of booked activity…' the letter said.
It added: 'Reducing volumes of bookings and rescheduling of appointments and other activity should only happen in exceptional circumstances to safeguard patient safety.'
We've written to NHS England with concerns about inadequate planning ahead of possible strike action later this week. Attempts to run non-urgent services with fewer doctors risk patient safety. It's imperative that Trusts postpone work to protect urgent and emergency care. pic.twitter.com/cUtMdox9kg
— The BMA (@TheBMA) July 21, 2025
On Tuesday morning, BMA deputy chairwoman Dr Emma Runswick told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the plan risked patient safety.
She said: 'We've had proven systems over the last decade that have made sure that where we have to take strike action, senior doctors cover urgency and critical care.
'This time round, NHS England are pushing for the continuation of non-urgent and scheduled care in a way that we think at best is confusing and will create on-the-day cancellations – and at worst could be risky and lead to harm in emergency departments and on wards, because senior doctors cannot physically be in two places at once.
'We think that a notional guidance from NHS England which is saying that basically all scheduled work should continue to go ahead has potential to be seriously risky for patients.'
During previous rounds of industrial action in 2023 and 2024, NHS England told trusts they could cancel large volumes of non-urgent care so that consultants could step in to cover emergency services.
But under the leadership of new NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey, hospitals have been given tougher rules over cancellations and said they may need prior approval.
Dr Runswick said: 'Senior doctors are needed to be freed up in order to provide urgency and critical care.
'We think the vast majority of planned and unscheduled care should be shifted.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has ruled out any additional pay rise (Lucy North/PA)
'There are always, in every hospital, local medical managers, local clinical leaders, who will make decisions about what is safe to go ahead – but trying to maintain scheduled care during this strike is not safe in many cases.'
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS England's co-national medical director for secondary care, said: 'The safest thing for patients is for the NHS to maintain as much urgent and planned care as possible during strikes, and we would encourage the BMA to work with us constructively to achieve this in the event industrial action goes ahead.'
Talks between the Government and the BMA have continued in recent days, though Health Secretary Wes Streeting has ruled out extra pay rises.
The BMA has also issued guidance for consultants regarding the extra pay they can seek for covering work during the strike that is not in their contracts.
The BMA 'rate card' says consultants can ask for £188 per hour on weekdays from 7am-7pm and £250 an hour from 7pm to 11pm.
At weekends, the pay claim can rise to £250 per hour from 7am to 11am and £313 per hour for overnight work from 11pm to 7am.
The BMA guidance to consultants regarding the strike said: 'Consultants will no doubt want to work with employers to ensure that services are still able to operate effectively.
Consultants and SAS doctors in England – look out for your indicative ballot email from @TheBMA today!
Wes Streeting called pay restoration "a journey, not an event" – so why have we stopped?
Are you prepared to stand up to demand your value is recognised by the government? pic.twitter.com/f5KJ1colP7
— Tom Dolphin🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ (@thomasdolphin) July 21, 2025
'However, they should not be expected to do so without agreement and without being appropriately remunerated…
'If you choose to cover such work, we recommend that you negotiate payment at an appropriate rate using our consultant rate card for non-contractual work.'
Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, were awarded an average 5.4% pay increase this financial year, following a 22% rise over the previous two years.
However, the BMA says real-terms pay has still fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'.
Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training.
They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a general practitioner (GP).
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Using the official measure of inflation, consumer prices index (CPI), the Nuffield Trust calculated that doctors' pay has fallen by a more moderate 4.7 per cent in the same period. In cash terms, excluding inflation, foundation-year resident doctors have seen a substantial pay boost in recent years. First year foundation doctors were paid just £29,384 in 2022; which means the new 5.4 per cent uplift amounts to an overall 32 per cent pay rise on that figure. While 2022 saw a four-decade-high rate of inflation, and doctors' salaries had already been falling behind, this is a more sizeable increase than seen by other public sectors. Nurses, for example, have seen starting salaries rise by just 14.8 per cent in the same period, less than half the rate of resident doctors. Doctors' pay compared to other public sectors Doctors and medical staff provide essential public services. So, how does their pay compare to police and firefighters? According to the Firefighters Union (FU), a trainee will earn around £28,265 a year, bumped up to £37,675 once they become a fully 'competent' firefighter in 1-3 years. At this point, overtime is paid at £25.80 per hour. Firefighters generally work a two-day, two-night shift pattern, with four days off in between. The highest salary for 'area manager' firefighters is at £69,283, according to the FU; not including London weighting. Meanwhile, figures from the Police Federation suggest that constables begin on £29,907 a year (without London weighting), rising to £48,000 for the highest pay band. Chief Inspectors can earn as much as £72,700 in London at the highest range. This suggests that resident doctors start at a moderately higher salary range, with more potential for upward movement. But comparing these fields of work is a challenge. Doctors must complete several years of medical school before qualifying. This saddles many doctors with debt before entering the workforce - something which is not a requirement for other emergency services, including firefighters and police. Low doctor pay compared to other countries In France, most doctors are self-employed, except for a minority who are directly employed by hospitals. Starting salaries are already expected to be around £3,400 per month, tallying at £40,800 a year. The average salary for a general practitioner is £84,000, according to data from the public health service. This can go up to as high as £350,000 for radiotherapists. In Canada, low starting salaries for doctors are around £46,000, according to national data. But average salaries sit around £122,000, with peak pay at £236,000 a year. The US has the highest salaries for doctors overall, with significant variation by state. Since private healthcare pay is unstandardised, it is hard to directly compare starting salaries. But resident doctors in the US are paid on average between £51,000 and £86,000, according to Glassdoor, with some surgeons earning upwards of £500,000 a year. It is important to note that the NHS is relatively unique because it is funded by the taxpayer. Canada has a similar system, which covers 70 per cent of healthcare spending, known as Medicare. Most doctors are paid in a fee-for-service model, not a set salary. France has a reimbursement model where patients mostly pay upfront, and may be partially or fully refunded by the state. And the US has some form of free health insurance, known as Medicaid; but this covers a shrinking fraction of the population. Ultimately, doctors are privately paid through forms of insurance, even if the state subsidises some healthcare. In this way, the UK is somewhat unique in how the taxpayer shoulders the burden of public healthcare salaries, excluding private doctors.
