Britain’s health minister, Wes Streeting, said he will do everything possible to prevent additional strikes by hospital doctors, who returned to work on Monday after a five-day walkout. The strikes, organised by the union representing qualified medical practitioners in England, focused on pay and working conditions during one of the busiest periods for the health service.

Streeting has previously criticized the strikes, calling the doctors “self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous” amid rising hospital admissions linked to a flu surge. He said his door remains open to talks aimed at ending what he described as “these damaging cycles of disruption” and added, “I do not want to see a single day of industrial action in the NHS in 2026 and will be doing everything I can to make this a reality.” Negotiations with the British Medical Association (BMA) are set to resume early next year.

BMA chair Jack Fletcher said the union wants “less name-calling and more deal-making” next year, urging the government to create new jobs and set out a multi-year plan to restore pay. He added, “Strikes were not inevitable in 2025 and they are not in 2026 either.”

The strikes added pressure to the NHS, which is facing a surge in flu cases. Hospitalisations in England rose more than 50% in early December, averaging 2,660 patients per day—the highest for this period.