Industrial Action

There were multiple resident doctor strikes across 2023 and 2024. Industrial action paused in late 2024 after an agreement was reached on pay and working conditions. This included improvements to pay, working hours, rest breaks and how pay is reviewed.

Despite this progress, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced further strikes. They say changes are not being delivered quickly enough and that pay still hasn’t kept up with inflation.

The term resident doctor was formally adopted in late 2024 to better reflect the experience and responsibilities of doctors in training.

• Strikes will affect every hospital in England and may also impact some GP and dental practices.
• Not all resident doctors will take part, so disruption will vary depending on the service.
• Even if a doctor isn’t in a union, they have the same rights as union members if they take part in official strike action.

Please attend your appointment as planned unless you’ve been contacted to reschedule.

If you haven’t heard from your hospital, GP or transport team, your appointment is still going ahead – even if strikes are taking place.

• Please only call 999 or attend A&E if it is a life-threatening emergency. This means our urgent care resources can go those who need it.
• Make use of NHS 111 online (unless your call relates to a child under 5 or you do not have internet access). It is a fast and convenient way to get help and support and signpost you to the most appropriate service.

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.

Emergency, urgent care and maternity services will continue to be available for those who need them.

Mental health services are still available. If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is here:

• Call NHS 111 and press option 2 for urgent mental health support.
• Speak to your usual mental health provider if you are already receiving care.

GP services may be affected by the strike action, especially if they host resident doctors (formerly known as junior doctors). This could lead to some disruption, and services may be busier than usual.

Same-day appointments are still available.

Please continue to attend your scheduled appointments unless you have been contacted and told otherwise.

The NHS will contact you if your appointment or patient transport needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. This is likely to be a letter or phone call, and you should be offered an alternative date for your appointment.

If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.

If strike dates are confirmed with short notice, NHS providers are more likely to contact you by phone to reschedule appointments or transport. This may be from an unknown number. Please answer and check any voicemails.

Some doctors may be asked to return to work during the strike if there’s a major emergency, like a serious accident or disaster. This is called a derogation and helps ensure patient safety. These rules are usually agreed on nationally.

Strike action mainly affects hospitals and some GP services. Social care, like home care or residential support, is usually not directly affected.

However, because of the strikes, there might be some delays in arranging support when someone is ready to leave hospital, which can lead to a knock-on effect on hospital discharges and in social care.

Resident doctors have a strike mandate in place for industrial action running until January 2026. This means they are authorised by their union to take part in planned strike days during this period.

This timeline covers the major industrial action by staff groups across Greater Manchester hospitals and some GP practices. While call handlers and some other NHS staff have taken industrial action nationally, their direct impact on the public in Greater Manchester has been more limited. From late 2024, the British Medical Association and national bodies formally adopted the term ‘resident doctor’ instead of ‘junior doctor’ to better reflect the skills and seniority of doctors in clinical training.

June and July 2024:

• Industrial action by junior doctors took place from 7am on Thursday 27 June 2024 to 7am on Tuesday 2 July 2024.

February 2024:

• Industrial action by junior doctors from 7am on Saturday 24 February until 11.59pm on Wednesday 28 February 2024.

January 2024:

• Junior doctors took industrial action from 7am on 3rd January to 7am on 9th January 2024.

December 2023:

• Junior doctors at some GP practices and all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester took industrial action from 7am on 20th December to 7am on 23rd December 2023.

October 2023:

• Consultant doctors and junior doctors at all NHS hospitals and some GP practices across Greater Manchester took industrial action for 72 hours from 7am on Monday 2 October until 7am on Thursday 5 October, providing emergency care only.

September 2023:

• Consultant doctors at all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester took industrial action from 7am on Tuesday 19 September until 7am on Thursday 21 September. They will provide emergency care.
• Junior doctors at some GP practices and all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester went on strike from 7am on Wednesday 20 September, providing emergency care on this day, continuing with a full walkout on Thursday 21 September until 7am on Saturday 23 September.

August 2023:

• Junior doctors at some GP practices and all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester took industrial action from 7am on Friday 11 August until 7am on Tuesday 15th August.
• Consultant doctors at all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester went on strike from 7am on Thursday 24 August until 7am on Saturday 26 August.

July 2023:

• Junior doctors at some GP practices and all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester went on strike from 7am on Thursday 13 July to 7am on Tuesday 18 July.
• Consultant doctors at all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester took industrial action from 7am on Thursday 20 July until 7am on Saturday 22 July.
• The Society of Radiographers (SoR) announced that it would hold 48 hours of strikes, from 8am on Tuesday 25 July to 8am on Thursday 27 July 2023 in 43 NHS trusts across the country. Trusts in Greater Manchester did not meet the turnout threshold needed to secure further industrial action so members here did not strike.

June 2023:

• Junior doctors at all NHS hospitals and some GP practices across Greater Manchester took industrial action from 6.59am on Wednesday June 14th until 7am on Saturday June 17th.

April and May 2023:

• Junior doctors across England went on strike from 06.59 am on Tuesday 11 April to 06.59 on Saturday 15 April affecting every NHS hospital in Greater Manchester and some GP practices.
• Members of the Royal College of Nursing took industrial action rom 20:00pm on 30th April to 11.59pm on 1st May 2023 at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust. This strike was planned to be 48 hours in total but was cut short due to a legal challenge by the Government.

March 2023:

• Members of the GMB and Unite unions (ambulance staff) paused their industrial action planned for 6 and 20 March 2023.
• Junior doctors across England went on strike on 13, 14 and 15 March all day affecting all NHS hospitals in Greater Manchester.

February 2023:

• Members of the Royal College of Nursing went on strike on 6 and 7 February 2023.
• Members of the GMB and Unite unions (ambulance staff) took industrial action in Greater Manchester on 6 February 2023.
• Members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) went on strike on 9 February 2023 at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.
• Members of the Unison union (ambulance staff) took industrial action  in Greater Manchester on 10 February 2023.
• Members of the GMB union (ambulance staff) went on strike in Greater Manchester on 20 February 2023.
• Members of the Unite union (ambulance staff) went on strike in Greater Manchester on 22 February 2023.

December 2022 and January 2023:

• Whilst in some areas of the country, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members went on strike on 15th and 20th December, these strikes did not impact hospitals in Greater Manchester.
• Members of the GMB, Unite and Unison (ambulance staff) went on strike on 21 December 2022 and 11 January 2023 across Greater Manchester.
• Members of the Royal College of Nursing went on strike on 18 and 19 January 2023 at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.
• Members of the GMB and Unison unions (ambulance staff) went on strike in Greater Manchester on 23 January 2023 and members of the GMB union (ambulance staff) went on strike on 24 January 2023.
• The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) took industrial action for its members employed by 30 NHS trusts across England on 26 January 2023 as part of a dispute over pay and retention. Trusts in Greater Manchester were not affected.

NHS England publishes data after the strike ends.