Resident doctors in England vote to go into dispute over lack of progress on reforms to overtime and safe-working systems

The BMA resident doctors committee has voted to go into dispute over a lack of progress to non-payment elements of the 2024 pay deal.

Although the industrial dispute came to an end when the pay offer was accepted, several smaller issues remained unresolved which the committee believed would be ironed out by December.

The committee agreed to work with ministers to find resolutions on several of these outstanding issues and have been doing so for several months.   

A key element of the deal that resident doctors in England voted to accept in September 2024 was an agreement with Government to negotiate improvements to the way in which doctors report, and get paid for, the hours they work over and above their shift time – so called ‘exception reporting.’

This process is there to accurately record residents’ working hours, identify unsafe staffing levels, and protect patients from avoidable harm.

The committee believe these reforms are fundamental to improving the working lives of doctors and making the NHS safer, more productive, and efficient – something the Government agrees with.

The BMA has engaged in good faith in negotiations, but despite best efforts and an intervention by the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, they have yet to reach an agreement.

Last minute changes to the agreement have added to delays and the resident doctors committee has voted to go into dispute to send a message to Government that a final agreement of these reforms is required as a matter of urgency.