DAUK recognises the outcome of the BMA’s industrial action ballot, in which resident doctors in England voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.
With 90 per cent support on a turnout exceeding 55 per cent, this result represents a decisive expression of concern from the medical workforce.
This mandate must be understood not in isolation, but as a clear and urgent signal regarding the deepening crisis in the NHS workforce.
Pay erosion of more than 20 per cent since 2008 has coincided with rising clinical demands, widespread rota gaps, and deteriorating morale.
Resident doctors
Many doctors now describe feeling undervalued, overextended, and left without meaningful avenues for redress.
Industrial action is never undertaken lightly by healthcare professionals. It reflects a breakdown in dialogue and a growing sense that core concerns — particularly around pay restoration, working conditions, and workforce retention — are not being adequately addressed.
While DAUK fully acknowledges public concern over service disruption, we emphasise the greatest threat to patient care remains long-term understaffing and the continued loss of skilled clinicians from the NHS.
The current pay dispute must therefore be viewed in the context of wider system fragility.
Workforce sustainability
Remuneration is not simply a contractual issue — it is an essential lever for workforce sustainability.
Without urgent and credible action to address this, the health service risks further attrition, diminished training environments, and declining safety standards.
DAUK urges the government to re-engage with seriousness and transparency.
There remains a clear opportunity to prevent further disruption through an early and substantive offer that demonstrates both recognition and respect for resident doctors’ contributions.
Constructive resolution
DAUK continues to support constructive resolution, rooted in professional solidarity, patient safety, and systemic reform.
We stand with our colleagues on the frontline and remain committed to advocating for an NHS that is fair to those who work in it and safe for those who depend upon it.
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