[1] The disputes commenced on 6 October 2022, when the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced their intention to ballot members for industrial action over a pay rise offer which was less than their requested 5% above inflation.

The nurses stated this was due to failing wages, inflation, overwork, and underfunding caused by the UK cost of living crisis.

[10] Jake Berry (the former Chairman of the Conservative Party), Dan Poulter (a former minister in the Department of Health), and Robert Buckland (the former Justice Secretary) called on Sunak to negotiate with unions.

[11][12] In Prime Minister's Questions on 14 December, Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer said that the NHS strikes were "a badge of shame" for the government and that Sunak was in "hibernation" instead of trying to avert the disruption.

[18] On 30 November 2022, the GMB announced that more than 10,000 ambulance workers had voted to strike in nine NHS trusts across England and Wales for the first time since between September 1989 and February 1990.

[23] Last-minute talks on 20 December between Health Secretary Steve Barclay and union leaders fell through after the government refused to make a new pay offer.

[25] Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England, asked people to only ring 999 in life-threatening emergencies and to take "sensible steps to keep themselves and others safe", including drinking responsibly and checking up on vulnerable family members and neighbours.

[38] Subsequent to the strike, BMA representatives met with Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay.

[43] The BMA stated that junior doctors in England were willing to cancel strikes if the government presented a suitable pay offer, amid demands for wage increases that match inflation.

[48] After the 2024 general election, new negotiations were held with the incoming Labour government, which ended the dispute with Junior doctors on 17 September.

[50] Humza Yousaf, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, said that the proposal was the "best and final pay offer" available and that there was "nothing left in the coffers" to improve it further.

[51] The RCN,[50] Royal College of Midwives (RCM),[52] the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP),[53] Unite, Unison and the GMB launched consultative members ballots on the offer.

[52] Jaki Lambert, the RCM director for Scotland, said following the vote that the offer was "simply not good enough" and that members were "prepared to take industrial action" to get a better deal.

[57][53] The Scottish government decided to go ahead with its existing pay offer after Yousaf met with union leaders on 23 December.