AlphaMED Resources · https://alphamedicine.uk/Resources/glossary/bma

BMA

British Medical Association

The BMA is the trade union and professional body for doctors and medical students in the UK.

Updated 12 October 2026 (1 minute read)

Summary

  • It negotiates pay and contracts with the government and employers.
  • It organises industrial action, including the resident doctor strikes in England since 2023.
  • It publishes guidance on medical ethics and owns The BMJ, a medical journal.
  • It is separate from the regulator. The BMA represents doctors, and the regulator protects patients.

Interview questions

  • What is the difference between the BMA and the regulator?
  • Should doctors be allowed to strike?
  • Why might a doctor choose to join a trade union?

Practise answering these with a mentor

Our interview preparation has you answer questions like these out loud, with feedback on each answer.

See interview preparation Book a free consultation

alphamedicine.uk/Services · alphamedicine.uk/Contact

Cases that turn on it

Palantir and the NHS data platform Autonomy NHS England is paying a group led by Palantir, a US technology company, up to £330m for software that joins up hospital data. The BMA and two committees of MPs want the NHS to drop the company, and more than 44,000 people have filed legal objections. A decision on whether to keep it is due by December 2026.

More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.