Doctors return to work in England after five-day strikePA MediaDoctors in England will return to work on Monday after a planned five-day walkout over ongoing pay disputes. The strike went ahead amid surging flu cases, and despite last-minute talks between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the government. BMA members rejected a new government offer that aimed to tackle issues with training and job security. Speaking to the British Medical Journal on Friday, BMA resident doctor leader DR Jack Fletcher said doctors were being lost to other countries because "they will essentially pay me more and also treat me better." Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he would like to see an end to the dispute by the new year. Resident doctors, the new name for junior doctors, called for the government to provide a "genuinely long-term plan" to increase pay, and for more training places created for qualified doctors to specialise and progress their careers. The doctors' union said 65% of its members had participated in what was the 14th strike since March 2023. The doctors' union has argued that resident doctors' pay is still a fifth lower than it was in 2008, due to inflation.
