NHS Hospital Doctors Threaten Coordinated Strike Action Over Pay Dispute
The NHS in England faces a significant escalation in industrial action as three major groups of hospital doctors threaten to coordinate strikes in a campaign for improved pay and working conditions. The British Medical Association (BMA) announced on Tuesday that it will ballot consultants, along with specialist, associate specialist, and speciality (SAS) doctors, on whether to join resident doctors in taking industrial action.
Should these ballots prove successful, the government risks having all doctors working in secondary hospital care in England engaging in industrial action simultaneously or in close succession. This coordinated effort could bring substantial disruption to NHS services, exacerbating existing pressures on the healthcare system.
Ballot Details and Demands
The simultaneous ballots for consultants and SAS medics are scheduled to run from 11 May to 6 July, providing a window for potential negotiations to avert strikes. Consultants are seeking better pay to address what they describe as a 25% erosion in the real-terms value of their salaries since 2008-09. Additionally, they demand shorter working hours, higher pay for out-of-hours work, and more protected time for training, research, and service improvement.
SAS doctors, on the other hand, are pushing for increased basic pay, improved overtime rates, more annual leave, and enhanced career opportunities. Specifically, they want their standard working hours to end at 7pm, with any work beyond that classified as "out of hours" for overtime purposes, rather than the current 9pm cutoff.
Government Response and Pay Issues
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) responded to the BMA's announcement by highlighting that consultants already earn an average of £147,000 annually. The department noted that consultants received an above-inflation pay rise last year and that basic pay for new senior doctors has increased by approximately 28.5% over the past four years. A spokesperson stated, "These are not grounds for even considering strike action."
However, the BMA's decision to proceed with ballots was prompted by the government's recent offer of only a 3.5% pay rise for 2026-27, which the union deemed "inadequate" and "a crushing blow to doctors." This percentage was recommended by the review body on doctors' and dentists' remuneration, advising ministers on pay for these professions.
Broader Context and Resident Doctors' Strike
This development occurs against the backdrop of an ongoing dispute with resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, who are set to begin a six-day strike on 7 April. Their representatives continue talks with the government to resolve a long-running pay and jobs dispute, with a deadline looming to accept ministers' last offer. The resident doctors have been seeking a 26% pay rise spread over several years and rejected the DHSC's final offer, citing the government "shifting the goalposts" after weeks of productive negotiations.
Dr Shanu Dattu and Dr Helen Neary, co-chairs of the BMA's consultants committee, emphasized the union's hardened stance, urging ministers to consider the consequences of having all hospital doctors with a mandate for industrial action simultaneously. With approximately 66,000 consultant doctors and 16,000 SAS doctors in the NHS in England, and the BMA representing about 36,000 and 7,000 of these groups respectively, the potential impact is substantial.
The DHSC expressed disappointment at the escalation, noting constructive conversations with the consultants committee and an invitation to collaborate on contract reform. They urged senior doctors to work together to rebuild the NHS rather than pursue disruptive strike action that patients may not support.
