Overview

• The BMA’s Resident Doctors Committee has confirmed a five-day strike starting at 7 am on July 25 if no agreement is reached.
• Doctors demand a 29.2% salary increase to reverse two decades of real-terms pay erosion since 2008-09, a rise the government says it cannot match.
• Health Secretary Wes Streeting and BMA co-chairs described their talks as constructive but failed to resolve the headline pay dispute.
• Negotiators are exploring non-pay measures such as student loan forgiveness and accelerated career progression to improve working lives.
• Previous junior doctor strikes cancelled about 1.5 million appointments, cost the NHS £1.5 billion and were linked to at least five patient deaths, underscoring the stakes of further action.