Responding to British Medical Association (BMA) junior doctors in England voting to continue strike action until February 2024 as part of their campaign for a 35% pay rise, with 98.4% of members voting in favour of staging walkouts unless the government increases their salaries, Sir Julian Harley, chief executive at NHS Providers said:

"The announcement of coordinated strike action is a serious escalation in the doctors' industrial dispute. We now face the grim prospect of another six months of walkouts from junior doctors, which will pile even more pressure on the NHS this winter, causing yet more disruption for patients.

"Most worryingly of all, we are now seeing coordination of strike action from doctors for the first time. After the first day of the consultants' strike on 19 September, junior doctors will join them on the picket line. Both groups will only provide Christmas Day cover that day. This will be followed by a full walkout by junior doctors on 21 and 22 September.

"This is going to be an unprecedented challenge for the health service. On top of that, both groups plan to strike together again for three days from 2 October.

"Trust leaders understand doctors' reasons for striking, but patients are paying the price. Nearly 1 million appointments have already been pushed back since industrial action started in December. This number grows with every strike, further delaying care and jeopardising vital work to bear down on backlogs, including the government's key pledge to cut the waiting list.

"Staff morale – already at a low – will likely now take another big hit. Industrial action is also putting a huge strain on stretched NHS budgets, costing an estimated £1bn so far through lost income and hiring expensive cover.

"Today's vote must be a wake-up call for both sides of the dispute to sit down together, talk, and agree on a resolution."