Overview

• Resident doctors concluded a five-day walkout on Wednesday but retain a legal strike mandate until January while awaiting government engagement on higher pay restoration offers.
• The British Medical Association has opened a linked dispute over specialty training shortages after revealing that just 10,000 posts are available for more than 30,000 eligible doctors.
• Royal College of Nursing members and health workers in Unite and GMB unions have formally rejected the government’s 3.6% pay rise, paving the way for coordinated autumn industrial ballots.
• Health Secretary Wes Streeting has ruled out further headline pay increases this year, citing a 28.9% uplift over three years, and is instead proposing non-pay reforms on career progression and working conditions.
• A worsening retention crisis—highlighted by more than 26,000 unfilled nurse posts and collapsing student recruitment—underscores mounting pressure on NHS services.