Doctors strike live: Streeting apologises to patients as NHS faces £250m bill for walkout

The Independent’s Dan Haygarth is reporting from St Thomas’ Hospital in London:

Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn joined striking doctors on a picket line in London on Wednesday morning.

He told The Independent that despite “huge queues” at A&E departments, there a “doctors who are unemployed”.

Asked what he would do if he were in Wes Streeting’s position, he said: “First of all, I’d meet with doctors, listen to them and spend time in A&E to understand what the pressures are like – and the moral blackmail that’s used against doctors all the time to try and do the impossible, as they do almost every day in our A&E.”

The Independent’s health correspondent Rebecca Thomas reports:

“It is currently impossible for there to be enough” consultants and other senior doctors to safely cover every shift within obstetric services at Nottingham University Hospital, according to a letter from the British Medical Association.

NUH, which was the centre of a major maternity scandal, faces a police investigation and long-term staff sickness, which is making it hard for the trust to cover resident doctors strikes, the letter posted by the BMA said.

The BMA has agreed to grant obstetric services at the trust resident doctors to come back for “part” of a shift.

Inflation has been on a difficult path in 2025, initially dropping before surging back up from April onwards.

However, it appeared to peak over summer and the latest figures thankfully have inflation back on the downward path, with Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rate falling back to 3.2 per cent in November.

While the rate is lowering, remember, that does not mean prices are coming down – it means they are rising more slowly than previously.

The Independent’s Business and Money editor Karl Matchett explains:

The Independent’s Dan Haygarth is reporting from St Thomas’ Hospital in London:

A group of resident doctors formed a picket line outside St Thomas’ Hospital in London as strikes began across the country.

The doctors, who told The Independent they were fighting for improved pay and conditions, were in a defiant mood and were led in a number of chants outside the hospital – including ‘Come on Wes, do it today, fix our jobs, fix our pay’, ‘cuts don’t pay the bills’ and ‘oh pay restoration’.

Some vehicles heading along Westminster Bridge Road beeped their horns in support for the doctors, who were also visited by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Wednesday morning.

The Independent’s health correspondent Rebecca Thomas reports:

While ministers’ warnings focus on the pressures facing hospitals during this week of strikes, this morning NHS England chief executive Jim Mackey has said the health service has so far had to absorb the additional monetary costs.

Having consultants cover resident doctors’ shits comes at a considerable cost – which is coming out of the NHS’ existing budget.

When quizzed the health secretary did not indicate more money would be coming from the government to help with this additional cost pressure.

While finances are already very stretched for the NHS absorbing additional costs of strikes could mean money comes out of other delivering other services.

Speaking about the resident doctors dispute, Wes Streeting told the Health and Social Care Committee of MPs: “I think (on) jobs (we are) broadly in agreement, pay – too far apart.”

The British Medical Association (BMA) want a plan to increase the pay of resident doctors and a guarantee of new training places.

Mr Streeting added: “And the the sadness I feel, especially when I meet with Jack Fletcher (chairman of the British Medical Association’s UK resident doctors committee), who is a decent person, who cares about his profession, we are in agreement on so many things.

“If we were not locked in what is an increasingly difficult dispute, we would be making more progress together.

“And these strikes are going to come at a cost around a quarter-of-a-billion pounds and impact on the operational pressures, impact on patients and the whole NHS workforce. And I deeply regret we’re in this situation.”

The Independent’s health correspondent Rebecca Thomas reports:

Healthcare leaders have warned the timing of doctors strikes meant an additional pressure at a time when hospitals feel they are buckling.

Those managing services and consultants working on wards have admitted to The Independent services tend to run more smoothly during strikes as there are senior clinicians making the decisions.

However, this strike comes the week before Christmas during which time hospitals are usually scrambling to clear beds ready for an onslaught in the days after Christmas and the first week of the new year.

In addition to these, hospitals are facing an early flu peak.

Consultants are going to be “more knackered” due to the strikes, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting told the Health Committee on Thursday morning, this echoed a consultant’s words to The Independent last week that the strikes have come during the worst weekend.

The question remains for how long will consultants be happy to put in the extra hours to cover these ongoing strikes? There is also a major cost to having consultants cover resident doctor shifts.

While the strike days may not be a disaster for hospitals the action will undoubtedly be a big hit.

The health secretary has said the resident doctor strike will cost the health service £250 million.

Appearing before the Health and Social Care Committee, Wes Streeting said he was “entirely focused on getting the NHS through the next five days” as the walkout begins.

He added: “These strikes are going to come at a cost around a quarter of a billion pounds.”

About 30 people outside the Royal Liverpool University Hospital are stood under orange British Medical Association (BMA) umbrellas on a picket line.

The doctors, from hospitals across Liverpool, held placards reading: “Doctors need jobs now.”

Some cars beeped their horns as they passed the hospital.