NHS consultants reject Government pay offer after series of strikes

NHS consultants in England have voted narrowly against a Government offer aimed at ending their long-running pay dispute, the British Medical Association (BMA) has announced.

In a statement on X, the BMA said members in England “voted 51 per cent against the offer in the pay referendum”.

“The result demonstrates that consultants still have considerable concerns about the offer,” the statement added.

Related Article

The deal offered was worth an extra 4.95 per cent on average in basic pay from this month – and would have come in addition to April’s 6 per cent pay rise.

Due to an overhaul of their contracts, the amount individual doctors would have actually got, on top of the 6% rise would have varied from zero to almost 13%.

Members of the BMA were asked to vote on it after the offer was made last month.

Consultants at the smaller Hospital Consultants and Specialists Union have also rejected the deal.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said she was disappointed by the result, adding that is was a “fair and reasonable” offer.

“The government is carefully considering the next steps,” she said.

But Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chair, said the vote has “shown that consultants do not feel the current offer goes far enough to end the current dispute and offer a long-term solution to the recruitment and retention crisis for senior doctors”.

Dr Sharma added: “It backs up conversations we’ve had with colleagues in recent weeks, who felt the changes were insufficient and did not give them confidence that pay erosion would be addressed over the coming years. In addition, they were concerned about the fairness of the offer and how it impacted different groups of doctors.

“There were also clear concerns about changes to professional development time, and time dedicated to teaching and research.

“However, with the result so close, the consultants committee is giving the Government a chance to improve the offer.

“In the coming days we will be further engaging with consultants, and seeking talks with Government to explore whether the concerns expressed by our members during the referendum process can be addressed.”

The Hospital Doctors’ Union (HCSA) has urged the government to engage in fresh talks, following the rejection of the proposed reform package.

General Secretary Dr Paul Donaldson said: “We’ve been warning for weeks that flaws in this reform package could lead consultants to reject it.

“The government now needs to acknowledge their concerns, get back round the table and agree a better deal to avoid prolonging this dispute.

“We hope they’ll choose the best path for all concerned and negotiate a refreshed offer.”

Consultants took part in four walkouts last year but have not announced any more walkouts as of yet.

Their strike mandate runs until June.

The NHS has been embroiled in Strike action for more than a year.

Walk outs by doctors, nurses, paramedics and physiotherapists have led to more than 1.3 million appointments and operations being rescheduled.

Across September and October 2023, consultants joined forces with junior doctors to stage an unprecedented walk out.

Junior doctors in England are currently being balloted to see if they want to continue strike action in their long-running dispute over pay.

And the BMA has said its members will be reballoted on extending industrial action for another six months.

This story is being updated.