Stuart Anderson MP has urged Health Secretary Wes Streeting to ensure that rural communities like South Shropshire are protected from future industrial action by NHS staff.
It follows a five-day strike following the rejection of Labour's latest pay offer, which Stuart said has had a disproportionate impact on more remote communities like South Shropshire.
Resident doctors went on strike between Wednesday 10th December and Monday 22nd December 2025, with an estimated 38,000 appointments cancelled during that time.
Stuart has highlighted the impact of NHS industrial action on rural communities, with analysis revealing that nearly nine thousand appointments were cancelled every strike day in 2025.
Stuart is concerned that the government’s approach since taking office is likely to place further pressure on NHS budgets and contribute towards higher tax rates in the longer term.
He has added that the government’s pay agreement with resident doctors has not resolved long-standing issues about pay and conditions for that profession.
Instead, the pay agreement with resident doctors in September 2024 has led to further demands on pay, followed by industrial action.
Labour's unilateral 28% pay increase for NHS staff last year was paid for with tax hikes on businesses and Winter Fuel Payments withdrawn from vulnerable pensioners.
Stuart has added that this pay hike hasn't stopped the strikes; there have been three in just the last six months and there could be even more in the new year.
In Parliament, Stuart Anderson MP asked:
"Everybody knows that South Shropshire is the most beautiful rural constituency, but that rurality brings remoteness, which brings challenges with an ageing population, and with additional strikes there is concern about whether adequate healthcare will be provided this winter. Will the Secretary of State set out how that will be done, so that residents of South Shropshire will not go without?"
In response, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said:
"The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to raise the interests not just of our cities and towns but of rural communities. I was proud of the emphasis that we placed on rural services and coastal communities in our 10-year plan for health, and we take that into account with our urgent and emergency care plan. I have been encouraged by the way that some of our ambulance services that are dealing with remote and rural constituencies are responding this year compared with last year, but there is still much more for us to do, particularly across the midlands. We want consistent year-on-year improvement so that whoever someone is and wherever they live, the NHS is always there when they need it."
Stuart has added that the strikes, which have already resulted 93,000 lost appointments this year, have placed severe pressure on patient care and hospital services.
When combined with a further 38,000 appointments cancelled with the latest round of strikes, the total rises to 131,566 cancelled appointments.
This is the equivalent of 8,771 appointments lost for every strike day, including cancelled cancer treatment and delayed operations - contributing towards mounting NHS backlogs.
Stuart has called for "strong and decisive action" to ensure minimum service levels across the NHS - as already the case in the police, where strikes have been illegal for over 100 years.
It is part of his long-term plan to protect and enhance public services in South Shropshire, given rural disparities when it comes to accessing services.
Stuart has added that the ongoing industrial action directly affects patient safety, with NHS Industrial Action Data revealing the cost of cancelled operations and appointments.
There have already been ten full days of strike action, with a further five planned which averaged across days leaves 8.771 appointments lost due to strike action.
The Conservatives have consistently warned that Labour's decision to hand out inflation-busting pay rises last year, without securing productivity commitments, would set a dangerous precedent.
A future Conservative government will ban doctors' strikes, just as we do for the Army and Police. It would introduce minimum service levels across the NHS to ensure patient safety always comes first.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"As flu cases rise this winter, the last thing patients in South Shropshire needed was doctors walking off the frontline and onto the picket line. Many residents have faced severe disruption from the industrial action by resident doctors. I am concerned that the government still has no serious plan to resolve these disputes. That is why I have urged Health Secretary Wes Streeting to ensure that rural communities like ours do not lose out on access to services during the industrial action which looks set to continue in the new year. By handing out inflation-busting pay rises last year, Labour set a dangerous precedent that has fuelled union demands. Only the Conservatives would ban doctors' strikes, as we already do with the Police and the Army, and introduce minimum service levels across the NHS to protect both patients and the public finances."
