Overview
- An externally verified online survey of resident doctors closes on Monday, 15 December to decide whether to cancel the 17–22 December walkout and proceed to a formal referendum on the proposals.
- The government’s package, as outlined by the BMA, would prioritise UK medical graduates for speciality training via new legislation, expand training posts to 4,000 over three years with 1,000 starting in 2026, and fund mandatory Royal College exam and membership fees.
- BMA leaders call the offer a mixed bag focused on training that does not restore pay or increase the overall number of doctors, and say they are presenting it neutrally to members.
- Health Secretary Wes Streeting offered to extend the strike mandate so action could be rescheduled into January, called the union’s refusal inexplicable, and said the offer will be withdrawn if walkouts go ahead.
- NHS England reports about 2,660 flu inpatients per day, a record for this point in the year, with hospital capacity under severe strain as Prime Minister Keir Starmer urges doctors to accept the deal.