Resident doctors at The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough are set to begin a six-day strike starting at 7am on Tuesday 7 April, with the industrial action lasting until 6.59am on Monday 13 April 2026. The walkout marks the 15th round of industrial action by resident doctors since March 2023, as the long-running national dispute over pay and working conditions continues.
The strike follows a decision by the British Medical Association‘s Resident Doctors Committee to reject a recent government pay offer. The proposal, which was turned down on 24 March, included a £700 million investment spread over three years and the addition of 4,000 specialist training posts. The union committee accused the government of moving the goalposts by stretching the pay increase over three years rather than one. Following the BMA’s decision to proceed with strike action, the government has withdrawn the offer of new training posts, after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s 48-hour deadline to call off the strike was ignored.
For patients at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the upcoming action is expected to cause disruption to hospital services. NHS leaders have warned that the strike could lead to cancelled appointments and longer waiting times for treatment and surgery across the health service. Those with scheduled appointments during the strike period are advised to attend unless they are contacted by the hospital. The trust is asking anyone who needs non-emergency medical help during this time to use the NHS 111 service or speak with a local pharmacist.
The dispute stems from a long-term campaign for pay restoration, with the union arguing that doctors have seen significant real-terms pay erosion since 2008. While an independent pay review body recently recommended a 3.5% pay rise for 2026/27, this was rejected by the union as it falls below the current inflation rate of 3.6%. The strike at The James Cook University Hospital, which is part of a collaborative group arrangement known as University Hospitals Tees, is part of a broader mandate for industrial action that is currently approved to continue until August 2026.
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