Secretary of State urges resident doctors to reconsider pay offer
Published 27 March 2026
© Crown copyright 2026
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pay-offer-to-resident-doctors/secretary-of-state-urges-resident-doctors-to-reconsider-pay-offer
Dear resident doctors,
After months of constructive and good-natured discussions with officers from the BMA Resident Doctors Committee (RDC), the government this week made an offer that would increase your pay, create jobs, improve your career prospects and reimburse exam fees.
As you know, the committee rejected that offer on your behalf. That is why I thought it important to share the full details of the package with you, so that you can make your own judgement about what it would mean for you and your career in the NHS. I hope that you will look at the details closely, debate the offer and discuss it with your reps.
I am attaching the complete offer, which was developed in partnership with the BMA RDC Officer team over the last 3 months, and addresses the wider issues you have consistently raised with me. However, these are the headlines:
- reform of the pay structure so that there are more frequent opportunities for pay rises, as resident doctors gain key competencies and enhance productivity in the health service
- average basic pay would have risen by 4.9% in 2026 to 2027, and resident doctors would have been on average 35.2% better off than 4 years ago
- starting pay for new graduates entering the profession this year would have been nearly £12,000 higher than in 2022 to 2023
- the lowest paid FY1 and FY2 doctors would have seen pay increases of at least 6.2% and 7.1% respectively this year, with basic pay for a new full time FY1 at £41,226, and average earnings expected to exceed £52,000 once additional hours are taken into account
- for the most experienced resident doctors, basic pay would have increased to £77,348 and average earnings would have exceeded £100,000
- at least 4,000 and up to 4,500 additional specialty training posts over the next 3 years, including 1,000 posts brought forward this year to tackle bottlenecks
- mandatory royal college exam fees reimbursed to put money back in your pockets
- substantial contractual reforms that would have better recognised the vital contribution of locally employed doctors
I know that trust has been strained and that many of you feel undervalued. I have listened carefully to that message, and this is the most comprehensive offer I can make. It is not too late; the committee has until Thursday (2 April 2026) to reconsider.
I remain committed to improving the working lives and prospects of resident doctors, and I hope you will take the time to consider this offer carefully.
Yours ever,
Wes Streeting
The Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP