Senior doctors to strike next month unless Health Secretary commits to talks

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Consultants will strike on November 25 and 26.

The BMA added that the government has ignored concerns on the wellbeing and workload of medics.

BMA consultants committee co-chairs Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta said: “As the most senior and skilled doctors in the NHS, consultants not only provide front-line life-saving care but they are central to running and designing services, training and supervising the future workforce and ensuring patients get the best treatment possible.

“Solving the pressures facing the health service will be impossible without valuing and retaining these doctors. Yet the government is failing to recognise this, ignoring our concerns around consultants’ wellbeing and workload and pushing them further away from the NHS.

“As the much-lauded progress on waiting lists in England stalls, the government is also telling consultants they deserve another pay cut.”

Ms Cooper described the announcement as very disappointing and said the Department of Health and NHS England have been in “constructive” discussions with the union.

She added that taking industrial action as the NHS prepares for winter would be irresponsible.

The committee has been in talks with the government on measures to tackle burnout and keep consultants in the NHS. These include more protected time to focus on teaching the next generation of medics, cutting standard hours to bring consultants in line with other NHS staff and better recognition for the most demanding out-of-hours work.

Cutting consultants’ working week by five hours would cost £2-£3 billion, according to the government.

However, the BMA points out that consultant pay in Ireland can be as much as double that in England.

Consultants in England last went on strike in 2023 but have been in dispute with the government since last year.

The BMA announcement comes a week after the government recommended a 2.4 per cent pay rise for doctors for 2027-28 in evidence submitted to the review body on doctors’ & dentists’ remuneration. Consumer Prices Index inflation currently stands at 3.1 per cent.

The planned walkout comes after members of the BMA voted in favour of a mandate for industrial action in July.