Doctors’ Strikes Played Part in £3 Billion NHS Half-Year Overspend: Report

Even without further strike action, the NHS is now on track to have a near ‘£1.7 billion black hole’ in its finances.

NHS workers take part in a march from St. Thomas's Hospital to Trafalgar Square, as members of the Royal College of Nursing and the Unite union continue their strike action in a dispute over pay, in London, on May 1, 2023. Jordan Pettitt/PA Media

A think tank has calculated that doctors’ strikes played a major part in the NHS overspending by £3 billion in the first half of the year.

In a report on Tuesday, the independent health think tank Nuffield Trust also warned that the situation could rapidly deteriorate if more junior doctor and consultant strikes are called before the end of the financial year.