Overview

• The BMA’s Resident Doctors Committee has maintained a non-negotiable demand for a 29.2% pay increase to reverse two decades of real-terms cuts
• Health Secretary Wes Streeting insists the government cannot raise its 5.4% offer and has branded the union’s advice not to tell employers of strike plans “unconscionable”
• NHS Providers chief Daniel Elkeles warns that trusts have no extra funds to cover costly locum rates, forecasting severe service disruptions
• NHS England head Sir Jim Mackey described the planned five-day walkout as more disruptive than previous action and urged both sides to find a resolution
• Negotiations this week represent the final opportunity to avert the July 25–30 strike, which would see operations and appointments suspended across England’s hospitals