Junior doctors vote to accept pay deal and end years of strikes
Resident doctors in England have accepted the government’s offer on pay and working conditions, ending a year-long strike, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed.
The decision concludes the dispute in which the British Medical Association (BMA) Junior Doctors Committee has staged a 21-day strike from July 2025.
The new agreement includes the application of standard 2016 resident doctor contract terms for all locally employed paramedics.
Additionally, the average wage increase of 6.6 percent is planned to be fully implemented by April 2027.
The agreement also promises 4,500 additional specialist training places over the next three years.
According to the DHSC, the package will see junior doctors’ salaries on average 35.2 per cent higher than they were four years ago.
Health Secretary James Murray said: “This is very good news for junior doctors, patients and the NHS as a whole, allowing us to draw a line at the disruption of previous months and focus on getting on with the job of rebuilding our health service.
“Through this agreement, junior doctors will benefit from a new pay structure, better career progression opportunities and a range of other improved conditions to support them during rotation and training. “Patients will be relieved that the NHS is entering a period of more stability.
“But this is the beginning, not the end, of the journey. I know there is more to be done and I am determined to continue working constructively with junior doctors, all NHS staff and the unions that represent them, to improve their working lives and create a healthcare service fit for the future.”
Online voting for junior doctors took place from June 18 to June 26.
The BMA had also warned that strikes “will have to increase in intensity” if they reject the deal.
Thousands of junior doctors in England were due to go on a four-day strike on June 15, which would be the 16th strike action since 2023.
However, after the offer was made, it was canceled on June 13.
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