Half a million appointments and operations saved by ending resident doctor strikes
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-02)

Ending doctor strikes saved 500,000 appointments and operations, and cut waiting lists by 193,000.

- 500,000 appointments and operations saved as a result of government action to resolve painful strikes within 4 weeks of office
- Strikes contributed to an extra 140,000 increase to waiting list, causing pain and misery to patients across the country
- Patients feeling the benefits with government delivering 2 million more appointments 7 months early and cutting waiting lists by 193,000 through Plan for Change
An estimated half a million appointments and operations avoided being cancelled in the second half of last year thanks to swift action from the government to end resident doctor strikes within 4 weeks of office.

Data shows a total of 507,000 appointments and operations were cancelled and rescheduled between July 2023 and February 2024 during periods of disruptive strike action, causing pain and misery to patients across the country, and hitting an already broken NHS with more damage. This put huge pressure on hardworking staff, with NHS England analysis showing that this added 140,000 more to the waiting lists this government inherited.

On his very first day in government, the Health and Social Care Secretary got round the table with resident doctors, securing a fair deal for patients and staff after 4 weeks, getting doctors back on the frontline treating patients.

The progress the government has made in starting to fix the NHS after 14 years of decline shows the transformatory effect of the Plan for Change (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plan-for-change).

Since July, over 2 million extra appointments have been delivered - 7 months early - and the waiting list slashed by 193,000. Patients up and down the country are beginning to feel a real difference after a decade of neglect - and in some cases after waiting years to get the care they need.

Cutting waiting lists is one of the government’s top priorities through its Plan for Change, which is driving forward reform of the health service to put patients first, rebuild our NHS and improve living standards, which are growing at their fastest rate in 2 years.

Making up around 50% of the medical workforce, resident doctors play a pivotal role for patients. When staff stood on the picket lines, waiting lists soared, leaving people in pain and out of work as a result of not being able to get the care they need. By bringing to an end months of devastating strikes, patients have significantly felt the benefits, getting the care they need without disruption.

Since July, the government has made it a priority to get 92% of patients seen within 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament. Through the recently published elective reform plan (https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/reforming-elective-care-for-patients/), patients will begin to have more control over their care, to end the needless suffering of those stuck on a waiting list.

The plan also makes it easier for patients to access the appointments they need, through the opening of more community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs, in more convenient locations closer to their homes, keeping them out of hospital. And through bringing the NHS App into the digital era, individuals will be able to take control of their personal health plans, by accessing key documentation and appointment data online, in a timeline that works around their lives.

With over 2 million extra NHS appointments including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy and diagnostic tests already being delivered 7 months early, and through its Plan for Change, the government is on its way to ending the misery felt by millions of patients up and down the country who are waiting for the appointments they need.

Wes Streeting, Health and Social Care Secretary, said:

Half a million operations stopped because of strike action weren’t just an inconvenience. They meant hundreds of thousands of patients living through more pain, more stress and more disappointment.

That’s exactly why within days of coming into office, I got round the table with resident doctors and put an end to these crippling strikes.

It was a tough negotiation, but we came out with a fair offer, and patients immediately started seeing the benefit.

Thanks to this government putting doctors back on the frontline, we’ve cut waiting lists by 193,000. We are fixing the broken foundations of our NHS through our Plan for Change so patients can get back to work and doing what they love.

Data on industrial action in the NHS (https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/preparedness-for-potential-industrial-action-in-the-nhs/) is available on the NHS website.