Doctors begin ‘necessary’ five day strike today across England
Casey Peyton
14 November 2025

Credit: Flickr, Roger Blackwell

Doctors across the country have begun their five day strike today, with picket lines in Westminster, Leeds and Sheffield amongst many others.

The British Medical Association (BMA) have said resident doctors will strike on five consecutive days from 7am today to 7am on November 19. 

Resident doctors, previously called junior doctors, are striking over pay erosion and insufficient specialty training places. 

Why are doctors striking?

Dr Alexander Browne, 25, currently working in Sheffield Teaching Hospitals as a FY2 doctor explained why the strikes are so important at a time of crisis for the NHS. 

He said: “Of course doctors are aware that all public service workers are facing struggles with pay and all public sectors are underfunded. It’s just that doctors were facing some of the biggest cuts of any sector.”

Resident doctors are fully trained doctors with up to eight years of experience, and account for around 50% of doctors working in the NHS.

This means that during the strikes, NHS services will be under a significant amount of pressure. 

Dr Browne is looking to go into anaesthetics when he finishes his second year of foundation, however due to rising competition ratio’s, this might prove difficult for him.

“The competition ratio is 14 to 1, so that means there’s 14 fully qualified doctors applying for one training post to become an anaesthetist and these competition ratios keep increasing and increasing.

“So it’s also just making the government aware that fully qualified doctors that have trained and practised in the UK given years of their life do deserve to have employment opportunities and that people shouldn’t be faced by unemployment.

“I’ve also got friends who have just left medicine altogether because they couldn’t get a job, which I think is just crazy when there’s shortages and massive waiting lists,” he said. 

Resident doctors went on strike 11 times in 15 months between March 2023 and June 2024, but have only done so once this year, in July. 

Thousands of them will be taking part in today’s strike’s, which will be the 13th of their campaign. 

Dr Browne added: “Patient safety is a major concern and no doctor taking part in any strikes wants to wish harm on their patients or wishes ill towards anybody.

“Although unfortunately it is kind of a necessary step to take in order to make the government pay attention to what we’re saying.”

According to the BMA, resident doctor pay is down by 22.3% in real value, since 2008.

This week’s NHS figures also highlighted the struggle these doctors are facing daily.

It stated that in October 54,000 patients waited more than 12 hours for a bed in emergency departments, nearly 10% more than the same month last year.

Dr Browne explained that he is looking to move to Australia for a couple of years to ‘get some time away from the NHS’.

He said: “I want to live in a hot country for a little bit and work in a healthcare system that’s not under quite so much pressure. 

“Also to allow me some time to build up those points for a portfolio to allow me to get into training.”

Resident doctors have their own portfolios where they are required to do additional work outside of paid hours to appear more attractive to employers.

When he first began medical school, these issues were not something he expected to have to experience.

“When you get here, you don’t realise how bad it is until you’re in too deep, unfortunately,” he added. 

Picket Lines:

In South Yorkshire, picket lines happened at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, from 8am to 11am, and in West Yorkshire, at Leeds General Infirmary outside the Jubilee Wing. 

The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have urged patients to work with them and to attend any booked appointments unless they hear otherwise. 

Dr James Thomas, Medical Director for the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said: “The safety and care of people who use our services is our highest priority, and it is important that people continue to use our services when they need them. 

“NHS teams across West Yorkshire will be working throughout the strike period to keep people safe and well, but services will be affected.

“Our region’s hospitals and mental health trusts will be significantly impacted, as will some GP practices, and this will have a knock on effect on other parts of the healthcare system.

“That’s why we’re asking everyone to work with us to ensure they’re prepared for their medical needs during the strike action.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, recently opposed the doctors union strikes, when he spoke at the NHS Providers conference in Manchester at the beginning of the week.

He said in the conference: “This strike action causes untold misery and disruption to patients who could do without it.

“Especially during winter, it puts untold pressure on other NHS staff who are picking up the pieces for the damage and disruption that resident doctors and the BMA are inflicting on the service.”

The government has offered the union a deal to cover the cost of exam fees for resident doctors, and expand training places more quickly than they planned, but this was rejected by the BMA.