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Resident Doctors: Strikes

Asked by Sir John HayesConservativeDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 29 April 2026UIN 124454

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of industrial action by resident doctors in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Answered by Karin Smyth

In 2024, the cost of industrial action by resident doctors was approximately £180 million. In 2025, there were three rounds of industrial action, in July, November, and December, each of five days. We have estimated industrial action costs at £50 million per day, so the total estimated cost for 2025 is £750 million.

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