Consultant Doctors in England Vote for Strikes Over Pay Dispute

Consultant doctors in England have voted for strikes over the next 12 months in pursuit of higher pay and a shorter working week, prompting fears of renewed disruption in the NHS.

Consultants, who earn an average of £152,000, want ministers to agree a multi-year pay deal to address what they say is the 25% fall in the value of their salaries since 2008-09.

The decision comes a week after resident – formerly junior – doctors in England called off their long-running pay and jobs dispute after accepting the government’s most recent offer.

However, consultants held off announcing dates for stoppages. That may offer hope that talks with the government could help to avert the possibility of a strike.

James Murray, the health secretary, criticised the decision. There is “no justification” for people who are already in the top 2% of earners in the UK staging stoppages to win more cash, he said.

In a ballot run by the British Medical Association, 76% of consultants who voted said they were ready to take industrial action. However, only 18,069 of the 35,067 consultants who belong to the BMA took part in the ballot, in which turnout was only 51.5% – just above the 50% that under industrial relations law is needed before any strike can go ahead. Of those, 13,695 (75.8%) said yes to the question “are you prepared to take part in strike action?” and 4,369 (24.2%) said no.

Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, the co-chairs of the BMA’s consultants committee, said: “This is a clear message from consultants in England that they are not willing to tolerate the continued attack on their pay and professional value and that, if necessary, they are willing to act.”

Ministers and whoever replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister, they said, would need to take action to head off the threat of strikes and senior doctors quitting the NHS. “No strikes need to take place if the government addresses these issues, but we now have a mandate that consultants are prepared to use if it does not act, they said.

But Murray stressed that “consultants are some of the highest-paid public sector staff and among the top 2% earners in the country.

“After a 28.5% increase in basic starting pay over the last four years and with the average consultant now earning over £152,000 a year, there is simply no justification for strikes that will cause disruption to patients and the NHS,” the health secretary said. “I urge the BMA and all consultants not to rush into another cycle of unnecessary and disruptive industrial action and instead work with the government to improve the lives of senior doctors.”

Basic pay for consultants ranges from £113,565 to £150,569. However, that does not include overtime or merit awards to reward clinical excellence of up to £42,000. Ministers will not revisit consultants’ 3.5% payrise for 2026/27.

Sources close to Murray said fewer than two in five consultants who belonged to the BMA had backed industrial action. It represents 35,067 of England’s 66,759 consultants.

Beyond a multi-year pay deal consultants are also seeking higher pay for out-of-hours work, a cut in their working week from 40 to 37.5 hours and to spend less time on direct clinical work and more on developing innovative approaches to patient care.

The consultants’ legal mandate runs for a year, rather than the six-month periods resident doctors had during their strikes, as a result of the government’s recent Employment Rights Act.

The NHS Alliance, which represents NHS trusts in England, voiced unease over the vote. “Health leaders will be disappointed that senior doctors have voted in favour of potential industrial action and now have a mandate to strike over the next 12 months. Should they go ahead, any walkouts by consultants would once again impact the delivery of vital services and patient care,” said Ciarán Devane, the organisation’s chief executive.

“Whilst NHS leaders acknowledge their concerns, they would urge senior doctors to get around the table and engage in meaningful dialogue to resolve these without hitting patient care again.”