Striking doctors will return to work today following five days of strikes which crippled hospital services across the country.
Resident doctors took industrial action after rejecting a new offer by the Government.
The strikes came as flu cases surged, causing chaos in hospitals across the UK, with the number of people in hospital with the virus remaining at a record level for this time of year.
Health experts have warned that the impact of the strike will be felt into the new year ‘and beyond’.
It comes as the number of flu patients in hospitals in England rose to an average of 3,140 on Thursday, nearly five times higher than two years ago.
British Medical Association (BMA), the union which represents resident doctors, were calling for a 26 per cent pay rise on top of the extra 28.9 per cent it received over the past two years – the highest in the public sector.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting previously warned that the NHS could collapse and patients could die, as he urged resident doctors not to go ahead last week as the super-flu continued to surge.
Now he has said he wants to end the dispute, and vowed to get around the table with the BMA in the new year.
Staff members pictured with placards outside St Thomas’ Hospital in central London on December 17
Train travellers wear masks at London Waterloo Station on Wednesday after NHS leaders urged people coughing and sneezing to wear masks on public transport
During a visit to an ambulance station in London last week, he said: ‘I do want to end this dispute.
‘I don’t want us to be locked in a bitter dispute, and I’m never going to shut the door to talks, and I will do my best to see if we can start 2026 off on a better foot.’
However, Mr Streeting said the BMA is ‘demanding an extra 26 per cent on top of what we’ve already given’.
‘That is not a figure that we can afford but we will get around the table with them again in the new year,’ he added.
The strike followed the rejection of a new Government offer by BMA members, which aimed to tackle issues with training and job security.
According to the union, 83 per cent of resident doctors voted to carry on with strike action while 17 per cent said the offer was enough. Turnout was 65 per cent.
On the first day of the walkout, Dr Layla McCay, from the NHS Confederation, told Sky News: ‘What healthcare leaders are telling us is that the impact we will see from these particular strikes will affect particularly things like the waiting lists, and the disruption that is being caused this week will be felt all the way into January and beyond.’
Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the resident doctors committee at the BMA, said the union is keen to get round the table with Mr Streeting.
He said: ‘2026 must see less name-calling and more deal-making. What we need is a proper fix to this jobs crisis and a credible path towards restoring the lost value of the profession.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has vowed to end the dispute, and get around the table with the BMA in the new year
‘That must mean the creation of genuinely new jobs and it could involve a responsible multi-year approach to restoring doctors’ pay.
‘Those are solutions that mean we can build out our future workforce to end the current crisis, solutions which are very much within the Government’s power.’
Mr Streeting told MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee he is ‘just as, if not more, worried’ about the weeks that follow the strike.
On Thursday, figures revealed the number of flu patients in hospitals in England had continued to rise – increasing by 18 per cent to an average of 3,140 – although the rate of growth had slowed.
At the same point last year, the number was 2,629 while in 2023 it was just 648.