During my seven years working in the NHS, including through the Covid pandemic, I saw first-hand the extraordinary dedication of junior doctors and healthcare staff. They work under immense pressure, often going above and beyond for their patients, and they deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do.

But my overriding focus, then as now, is on patients and the care they receive. Any pay settlement must not only be fair, but also affordable and sustainable, ensuring the NHS can continue to deliver for those who rely on it.

It is against that backdrop that Labour was quick to celebrate its early post-election decision to award junior doctors a 22 percent pay rise, alongside backpay, as the long-awaited “end” to industrial action.

With no conditions attached and no meaningful expectations around productivity or reform, the consequences were entirely predictable. What we have seen over the past week or so is precisely that.

The demands have not stopped. The strikes have returned. And the cost is staggering.

Since Labour took office, strike action has cost the NHS £1.2 billion. That is the equivalent of two new hospitals or 34 A&E departments. In just the six days since the latest British Medical Association (BMA) strike began, the cost has been comparable to funding 10,000 nurses, 6,000 doctors or over 4,000 GPs.

These are real-world costs. When I questioned the chief executive of NHS England in Parliament, he was clear that this level of disruption would have “consequences on what [the NHS] is able to provide”. Those consequences are already being felt by patients across the country.

This situation is simply not sustainable.

Yet Labour continues to act as though this outcome was unforeseeable. By handing over a significant pay award without securing commitments on productivity, attendance or reform, they weakened their own position and set a precedent that has only encouraged further disruption. Even now, there is little sign of a coherent plan to resolve the dispute.

My focus throughout is on patients, those waiting for operations, struggling to see a GP, or facing uncertainty as appointments are cancelled. A responsible Government must balance fairness to staff with a duty to those patients and to taxpayers. That means ensuring the NHS remains reliable as well as well-funded.

At present, the Government is failing on both counts.

This is especially frustrating locally, where access to healthcare remains a pressing concern. While the recent £1 million investment in Haslemere Hospital is very welcome, Whitehill and Bordon is still waiting for the long-promised investment in its healthcare. It is therefore hard to ignore the scale of funding lost to strike action, which dwarfs the comparably modest investment we need. Money that could have been invested directly into improving services in our communities is instead being drained away.

That is why change is needed.

The Conservatives have set out a clear alternative, including proposals to restrict the ability of doctors and consultants to strike, bringing them in line with other essential public services such as the police and the military. Alongside this, minimum service levels would ensure that patients are protected even during disputes.

These are practical steps aimed at restoring stability, protecting patients and getting the NHS back on track.