Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of resident doctor strikes on NHS waiting lists.

Industrial action has a significant direct and indirect impact on elective performance and NHS waiting lists.

Within the period of industrial action from December 2022 up to February 2024, 430,000 completed pathways (where a patient starts consultant-led treatment and is removed from the waiting list) are estimated to have been deferred as a result of industrial action.

In summer 2024, this Government’s rapid resolution of industrial action allowed the NHS to exceed its pledge to deliver 2 million extra operations, scans and appointments, having delivered an additional 4.9 million appointments from July 2024 to June 2025.

Unfortunately, in July 2025 we have seen further industrial action from Resident Doctors. As a result of tireless collaborative work, and valuable learning from previous industrial action, the NHS managed to remain resilient against strike action and minimised the impact on patients and the public.

NHS England published estimates that the NHS maintained improved levels of inpatient and outpatient activity at 93% of normal activity levels, which is available at the following link: Early-assessment-of-the-July-2025-Resident-Doctors-IA-on-elective-activity-for-NHS-Acute-Providers-Final_7viii25.xlsx.