Wes Streeting has pledged to do all he can to avoid industrial action in 2026, as doctors in England return to work following a five-day walkout.
The health secretary said the strike, coupled with surging flu cases, constituted “the most serious threat to the NHS” since he began the role a year and a half ago.
He said: “The double whammy of strike action and flu this December posed the most serious threat to the NHS since I became health and social care secretary.
“The health service has only been able to cope because of the extraordinary efforts of the dedicated staff who work in it, and the hardest yards are in the weeks ahead as we get the NHS through the busiest weeks of the year.
“To everyone who played a role in keeping NHS services running through this exceptionally challenging month, thank you for the real difference you have made.
“I do not want to see a single day of industrial action in the NHS in 2026 and will be doing everything I can to make this a reality.
“My door remains open, as it always has done, and I’m determined to resume discussions with the BMA in the New Year to put an end to these damaging cycles of disruption.”
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The strike took place after The British Medical Association (BMA) said 83% of English members had rejected a fresh proposal from the Labour government.
Sir Keir Starmer called the action “irresponsible,” while Mr Streeting accused the union of a “shocking disregard for patient safety”.
The BMA said the strike was “entirely avoidable” and has demanded a “credible offer” for English doctors to avert “real-terms pay cuts”.
The government’s offer had included a fast expansion of specialist training posts as well as covering out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees.
It also offered to extend the union’s strike mandate to enable any walkout to be rescheduled to January.
It does not address resident doctors’ demand for a 26% salary rise over the next few years to make up for the erosion in their pay in real terms since 2008 – this is on top of a 28.9% increase they have had over the last three years.
Public support for the strikes is low, according to a recent YouGov poll.
The results showed 58% of those asked either somewhat or strongly opposed the industrial action, while 33% somewhat or strongly supported it.
