The British Medical Association (BMA), and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) are to take strike action from 7am on Wednesday, 20 December until 7am on Saturday, 23 December.

There is likely to be further strike action from 7am on Wednesday, 3 January 2024 until 7am on Tuesday, 9 January 2024.

This is a continuation of action and colleagues continue to work hard to provide patients with the best possible care under the circumstances.

Trade unions representing some NHS staff are in dispute with the Government over the 2022/23 pay award. A number of the unions have balloted their NHS members to take part in industrial action. As a result, members of the following unions have advised of plans to take strike action on the dates listed below:

  • 0700 on Wednesday 20 December until 0700 on Saturday 23 December – Junior doctors from BMA and HCSA will be taking strike action.
  • 0700 on Wednesday 3 January until 0700 on Tuesday 9 January - Junior doctors from BMA will be taking strike action. HCSA junior doctors may join subject to the outcome of their ongoing ballot.

The strikes announced cover junior doctors across the NHS. This means the action will impact every hospital in England. For more details, please see the union websites:

During these strikes, other doctors (including consultants, GPs and other specialist doctors) will still be working. However, The NHS is working hard to ensure adequate staffing through the entirety of urgent care pathways, urgent elective cases, and other services. However, the disruption to staffing will cause a significant reduction in elective activity and this may mean that some appointments and procedures may need to be rescheduled. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and will rebook immediately, where possible. The BMA and HCSA have stated junior doctors will undertake a full withdrawal of labour.

The NHS will be working closely with unions to discuss any concerns around patient safety and ensure that safe emergency care continues to be available.

Anyone who needs urgent care should use NHS111 online to be assessed and directed to the right care for them. If you do not have internet access, then 111 helpline is available. When someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk, you should seek emergency care in the normal way, by calling 999.

This level of disruption to staffing will cause a significant reduction in elective activity. Where appropriate, urgent elective surgery (P1 and P2), Cardiac, Organ and Corneal transplant and cancer care (particularly for patients who have already been waiting over 62 days, or who are likely to pass day 62 if their appointment needs to be rescheduled), and long waiters should be the final cohorts to be rescheduled. 

The NHS and partners are already working hard to discharge patients who are clinically fit and reduce occupancy levels to the extent possible ahead of Christmas and New Year. The NHS is doing all it can to discharge anyone who is clinically fit. This not only helps patients avoid being in hospital over Christmas and the New Year, it also helps support urgent and emergency care during strike days.

The NHS is working hard to minimise the risk to patient safety. This means we will prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where it is necessary and will rebook immediately, where possible. Unfortunately, these strikes will have a significant impact on planned and routine care.

During strike action we will prioritise emergency treatment and patients seeking urgent treatment will be seen. Unfortunately, this means we may have to prioritise emergency care over some routine appointments and procedures. Everyone who has an appointment should attend as planned unless your local NHS provider has contacted you to reschedule. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment even if your Trust is affected by strikes.

Emergency care will continue to be available across all parts of the country. It is really important that in emergency and life-threatening cases - when someone is seriously ill, or their life is at risk patients continue to come forward as normal.

The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. This is likely to be a text, phone call or a letter and you should be offered an alternative date for your appointment. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.

Any appointments that need to be rescheduled will be done as a priority.

No, if we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.

To avoid delays in getting your medicines or the risk of running out of medicines during strikes please order prescriptions in good time.

All hospital inpatients will be informed of how their care will be impacted on a ward-by-ward basis by the staff involved in delivering their care.

GP practices will continue to be open during the junior doctors strike. Please continue to attend your GP and dental appointments, unless you are contacted and told otherwise.

Please continue to attend any dental appointments unless you are contacted and told otherwise.

Patients should only call 999 if seriously ill or injured, and there is risk to life. Ambulances will be dispatched where clinically appropriate.

The joint strike action by junior doctors in December will last for 72 hours.

Action can only be taken where the employer has been notified of strike action by the union after a ballot authorising such action at that employer. It’s unlawful to take part in ‘secondary action’ (going on strike in sympathy with people who work for a different employer). Information is available on the rights of staff around taking industrial action.

Union members in derogated areas can still take strike action and will be protected against dismissal. Derogations are an informal agreement between unions and employers and are not legally enforceable.

 However, derogations are negotiated for areas providing critical patient care. Those refusing to work in derogated services can be advised they may be committing a criminal offence if their strike action has the potential to endanger human life or cause serious bodily injury and that they should seek advice from their union.

Non-union members who take part in legal, official industrial action at their employing organisation have the same rights as union members not to be dismissed as a result of taking action.