Overview
- Hospitals across England are rescheduling cancelled elective and outpatient care after a five-day walkout that ended at 7am on Monday.
- Official data show flu inpatients rose 18% to an average of about 3,140 last week, intensifying winter pressures on recovery.
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting says the service coped during the stoppage but warns the toughest weeks lie ahead and says he wants no NHS strikes in 2026.
- The BMA rejected a government offer focused on expanding training places without a pay rise for the current financial year, with 83% backing continued action on a 65% turnout.
- The union is balloting to extend its strike mandate into August 2026 and is calling for genuinely new jobs and a multi-year path to restore pay, while NHS leaders expect the disruption to affect waiting lists into January and beyond.