TL;DR: Resident Doctors in England Demand Fair Pay Amid Striking Conditions
Resident doctors in England are striking in response to over a decade of pay erosion and unmanageable working conditions. Despite recent wage increases, their salaries are 20% lower in real terms compared to 2008, while inflation and student debt soar. Current pay ranges from £38,831 (new graduates) to £73,000 (experienced doctors), with long hours and burnout worsening the crisis.
The strikes also highlight challenges like limited career opportunities and the NHS’s understaffing issues, further complicating healthcare delivery. Left unresolved, this could lead to mass resignations and jeopardize patient care.
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Imagine balancing long shifts, financial strain, and the life-or-death decisions of being a doctor, only to find your pay eroded to levels that can barely cover your cost of living. This is the reality for many resident doctors in England, who’ve taken to the streets repeatedly since 2023 to demand fair compensation. What lies behind their striking actions? What’s their current pay, and why do they believe it’s unjust? Let’s unpack the details.
Why Are Resident Doctors Striking?
The erosion of pay against inflation is at the heart of these strikes. The British Medical Association (BMA) argues that despite a cumulative 30% increase in wages between 2023 and 2025, the salaries of resident doctors are still 20% lower in real-term value compared to 2008. Coupled with soaring inflation and the significant costs of medical education, many of these healthcare professionals feel financially trapped.
Strikes in England, organized by the BMA, are also a reaction to grueling work conditions and lack of job security in an overstressed National Health Service (NHS). Resident doctors often work over 80-hour weeks, routinely understaffed in hospitals, and face relentless mental and physical exhaustion. The toxic combination of insufficient sleep, burnout, long-term debt, and inadequate mental health support has created a perfect storm.
Some of these doctors cite facing a stark reality: they are forced to juggle paying off student loans exceeding hundreds of thousands of pounds with living expenses in an era of skyrocketing rent and utility costs. The BMA notes that many resident doctors accumulate substantial debt because their degrees take longer and come with higher costs than most other professions.
How Much Are Resident Doctors Paid?
The pay for resident doctors in England depends vastly on their years of experience.
- First Foundation Year (New Graduates): £38,831 annually.
- Second Foundation Year: £44,439 annually.
- Experienced Residents (8+ years of service): Around £73,000 annually.
On top of these basic wages, they earn supplements for working weekends, overtime, and night shifts. But as noted by the BMA, those extras often don’t compensate for the growing financial burden many residents face. Government claims about significant wage increases in recent years miss the broader context: these adjustments have still lagged far behind the rising cost of living and inflation.
What Are the Government and Resident Doctors Saying?
The government insists it has done enough. Health Secretary Wes Streeting points to nearly a 30% cumulative rise over the past three years as evidence that resident doctors have received “the largest public sector pay increase in recent history.”
On the other hand, the BMA remains adamant about pay restoration, adjusting salaries to pre-2008 levels in real terms to make the profession sustainable. Adding insult to injury, the union highlights that while the government calculates public sector pay rises using the more conservative Consumer Prices Index (CPI), resident doctors’ student loans accumulate interest based on Retail Prices Index (RPI), which stands significantly higher.
Beyond pay restoration, striking doctors also call attention to another pressing issue: job security. In a competitive field riddled with limited opportunities for specialization, many newly qualified and highly trained doctors find it difficult to secure permanent positions in the NHS. In 2025, for instance, over 30,000 doctors applied for only 10,000 training posts. Despite government pledges to increase these spots, the uncertainty remains severe.
How Does This Impact Healthcare?
These strikes are not without consequences for the public. With each day of industrial action, routine services and elective procedures take a hit. Emergency care remains functional, but delays inevitably worsen backlogs. For example, during the five-day strike from December 17-22, 2025, NHS hospitals saw thousands of cancelled appointments and operations. However, resident doctors defend their decision, emphasizing that without drastic reforms, patient care in the future will suffer much more as the NHS continues losing overworked and underpaid clinicians.
Meanwhile, the ongoing strikes highlight broader systemic struggles in healthcare. The National Health Service is grappling with unprecedented pressures, from an aging population to the aftermath of the pandemic, all while facing shortages of medical staff drawn to higher-paying countries.
What’s Next for Resident Doctors?
The BMA has no plans to yield without significant progress. Ballots for future strikes remain highly supported, showcasing the frustration and desperation of these doctors. Though much of their demands focus on salary restoration, this crisis encapsulates far deeper issues: the mental toll of chronic understaffing, relentless work hours, and limited career growth opportunities. Without action, experts warn of mass resignation waves, leaving the NHS ill-equipped to serve.
In a world increasingly defined by the prioritization of mental and financial well-being, resident doctors face the grim reality of being underpaid and overworked, sacrificing their health for ours.
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Frequently Asked Questions About the Resident Doctors’ Pay and Strikes
Why are resident doctors in England striking since 2023?
Resident doctors in England are primarily striking due to a combination of financial strain and challenging working conditions. According to the British Medical Association (BMA), their real-term wages have decreased by 20% since 2008 due to incremental pay increases falling behind inflation. Many resident doctors are burdened with considerable student loan debt, exacerbated by rising costs of living, including housing and utilities. Many professionals also cite burnout from grueling schedules, often working over 80 hours a week, and an overstretched NHS system struggling with understaffing and limited mental health support. The strikes aim to restore salaries to sustainable levels while also addressing systemic concerns about burnout and job security. Learn more about the reasons behind the strike at BBC News Article.
What are the salary ranges for resident doctors in England?
The salaries for resident doctors in England vary based on their experience:
- First-year foundation doctors earn approximately £38,831 annually.
- Second-year foundation doctors earn around £44,439 annually.
- Those with 8+ years of service typically earn up to £73,000 annually.
While additional pay is provided for overtime, night shifts, and weekend work, these supplements often fall short of countering inflation and rising living costs. Though their wages increased by nearly 30% between 2023 and 2025, experts highlight these adjustments are insufficient to restore pre-2008 pay levels. The real struggle lies in balancing these wages with expenses like substantial student loan repayment.
What role does inflation play in the wage dispute?
Inflation significantly impacts the wage dispute. Resident doctors’ wages have failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living. The government uses the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) to calculate public sector pay, which often understates inflation compared to the Retail Prices Index (RPI). Resident doctors’ student loans, however, accumulate interest based on the higher RPI rate. As a result, doctors are paying more on loans while their purchasing power erodes. This discrepancy has fueled demands for “pay restoration,” aiming to bring wages in line with 2008 levels in real terms.
How does the ongoing strike impact healthcare in England?
Healthcare services face significant disruptions during resident doctor strikes. Routine procedures, diagnostics, and appointments are frequently postponed, leading to increased backlogs, particularly in non-urgent care. However, emergency services continue to function. The NHS has already been grappling with winter illnesses, understaffing, and post-pandemic pressures, making the strikes a severe challenge. Resident doctors argue that without major reforms, these systemic issues will worsen and could result in more healthcare professionals resigning or moving to countries with better pay and conditions.
Why is job security also a concern for resident doctors?
Despite their intensive training, many resident doctors in the UK struggle to secure permanent positions. The competition for specialization posts is fierce; in 2025, there were over 30,000 applicants for only about 10,000 positions. The lack of job security adds to the stress of low pay and high student loans, making it difficult for doctors to plan long-term careers within the NHS. The government has promised to expand training posts, but so far, it has failed to significantly alleviate these concerns.
How do wages for resident doctors in England compare to other countries?
Resident doctors in England often earn significantly less than their counterparts in countries like the United States, Australia, or Canada. Many international systems offer higher salaries, better working conditions, and more manageable student loan repayment schemes. This gap in compensation often prompts UK-trained doctors to emigrate, further exacerbating the NHS’s staffing shortages. Effective pay restoration and improved conditions would reduce the temptation to pursue opportunities abroad.
Can the government meet the demands of the British Medical Association?
The government claims it has already given resident doctors the largest public sector pay increase in recent years, with cumulative rises totaling nearly 30% between 2023 and 2025. However, the BMA argues that these increases are still insufficient to address the 20% decline in real-term wages since 2008. The union demands pay restoration, realistic inflation metrics, and job security improvements. Whether the government will consider further negotiations remains unclear, but the ongoing strikes show little sign of resolution.
How can I support more sustainable working conditions for resident doctors?
While societal change requires government and institutional intervention, individuals can advocate for better healthcare conditions by engaging in public conversations about healthcare funding and supporting petitions or campaigns led by organizations like the BMA. In addition, raising awareness about the challenges faced by resident doctors can generate pressure for more comprehensive reforms.
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About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp’s expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
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- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
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Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the “gamepreneurship” methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
