NHS leaders warn that ongoing doctor strike could force cuts to frontline staff, tests, appointments, and operations as financial pressures grow
NHS health leaders have warned that continued doctor strike action by doctors could force the service to cut frontline staff or scale back essential services. With budgets already under extreme pressure, they caution that further walkouts risk delaying appointments, tests, and operations, putting patient care and key performance targets at risk.
Health leaders issued a last-minute plea to the BMA
Resident doctors started their latest strike action across England on Friday, as part of the ongoing dispute between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the UK Government over pay and conditions.
The NHS Confederation and NHS Providers are warning that if doctors’ strikes continue, this will place even more pressure on constrained budgets, and if the NHS has to absorb these costs, it could mean other services will need to be cut.
The two NHS organisations issued a last-minute call to the BMA to call off the strike due to the excessive disruption; however, this was unsuccessful, with the walkout beginning last week. They warned that the strikes could jeopardise progress against key waiting time standards, including hitting the 18-week target for planned care.
The impact of previous doctor strikes on the NHS
In July, the BMA staged a five-day walkout, estimated to cost the health service a staggering £300 million. This was one of three unplanned cost pressures not included in the NHS’s budget for 2025/26, along with redundancy costs and potentially higher drug prices. The financial impact of these strikes is significant and could have long-term implications for the health service.
Additionally, in July, over 54,000 procedures and appointments needed to be cancelled or rescheduled.
During the November strike, NHS leaders and their teams have meticulously planned rotas to ensure patient safety and to maintain at least 95% of elective activity, as instructed in recent correspondence from NHS England.
These latest doctor strikes could exacerbate the early flu season pressures on the NHS, with additional demand on urgent and emergency care and increased staff sickness, making it more challenging to fill rota gaps.
NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor said: “There is no doubt that patients will bear the brunt of this disruption, with tens of thousands of tests, appointments and operations likely to be delayed or cancelled. NHS leaders understand how frustrating this will be for them, being left waiting in pain or discomfort, not knowing when their treatment will be rescheduled.
“With flu already beginning to bite, there is a real risk that these strikes will leave the NHS limping into a very difficult winter at a time when it is trying to recover performance and implement vital long-term reforms.
“But industrial action is also having a significant financial impact on the NHS, with the last five-day walkout estimated to have cost a staggering £300 million. These costs are not included in the health service’s budget, which is already very tight given the strain on public sector finances. This means that more strikes will blow further holes in these constrained budgets and could result in leaders having to cut staff or reduce service levels to balance the books.
“The BMA must recognise that these strikes are disproportionate, given the current financial environment and the fact that resident doctors have already had one of the biggest pay rises in the public sector. We would urge them to call them off, moderate their demands to something achievable and re-enter negotiations.”
Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, commented last week: “Another strike would be disruptive, divisive and costly. It would trample on the green shoots of recovery we’re starting to see in the NHS. Even now, there’s a chance to step back.
“Patients need to know every avenue was explored to stop another walkout. They are the ones who will bear the heaviest price of a failure to fix this dispute.”
