Latest strike by resident doctors saw fewer staff absent, NHS figures show

The recent five day strike action by resident doctors had less impact on services than previous action, and staff absence was lower, NHS England has said.

Data released by NHS England on 14 August show that 11 071 more appointments and procedures went ahead during the recent strike from 25 to 30 July1 than in the five day walkout in June 2024. However, NHS England said that a total of 54 095 elective procedures and outpatient appointments had to be rescheduled owing to the latest round of industrial action.

The data also showed that an average of around 1243 fewer staff were absent each day than last June (a 7.5% drop), which helped trusts maintain more services.

In response to the figures the BMA said that every staff absence last month would have been “totally avoidable” if …