Senior doctors across England to vote on strike action
Senior doctors in England’s NHS are being voted into potential strike action, a major development launched by the British Medical Association (BMA).
The move follows the government’s offer of 3.5 per cent salaries for these key medical groups, sparking a strong reaction from the professional community.
The BMA has opened an eight-week voting period for both consultants and specialist, sub-specialist and specialist (SAS) doctors.
Voting, which began on Monday, will end on July 6 and will determine the appetite for industrial action among key healthcare professionals.
The committee of advisors within the BMA made a number of clear demands. They advocate for increased protected time, which they see as necessary to encourage innovation, mentor fellow residents, and improve overall patient services.
Additionally, the committee advocates for reduced working hours and better recognition of out-of-hours shift requests, measures they believe are vital to combat burnout and improve staff retention in the healthcare service.
Simultaneously, the BMA’s SAS committee is campaigning for significant improvements to its members’ career progression pathways, highlighting another key area of concern for medical professionals.
It also wants reforms to how SAS doctors are recognized and compensated for their time “particularly for intense anti-social working hours”, and more annual leave to ensure doctors do not suffer losses compared to other medics.
Wages for both groups have fallen by around a quarter in real terms since 2008/09, the BMA said.
BMA consultants committee co-chairs Dr Shanu Datta and Dr Helen Neary said: “When you or a loved one goes to hospital, a consultant is the most senior and skilled doctor in the department who has overall responsibility for your care.
“They are also responsible for improving services, designing new ones and training future doctors.
“But not valuing this expertise and failing to support and protect consultants against the demands of the job means we risk losing them when patients need them most.
“Left unaddressed, the effect is to result in early retirement, quiet departures and, in the UK, consultants leaving the profession, doctor shortages and even worse waiting times for care.
“BMA consultants and SAS doctors in the UK stand together and demand better.”
The pair said industrial action was a “last resort” but medics felt they were “left with no other option”.
The vote comes after junior doctors in England walked off the job for six days in April over work and pay.
Tens of thousands of junior doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, went on strike over the Easter break after the NHS said many other staff were taking time off with their families.
Health Minister Wes Streeting had proposed a 4.9 per cent increase in the average basic salary from 2026 to 2027.
This would leave junior doctors 35.2 per cent better off than four years ago, according to Mr Streeting.
The bid also included an offer of 1,000 extra training places, but this was taken off the table due to rising strike costs for the NHS.
Chairman of the BMA’s junior doctors committee, Dr. Jack Fletcher accused the government at the time of “quietly” watering down the deal offered to junior doctors.
The strike was the 15th strike of junior doctors in England since 2023.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Consultants and specialist, sub-specialist and specialist (SAS) doctors are highly skilled and invaluable NHS staff who have stepped in repeatedly in recent months to maintain high quality patient care during junior doctors’ strikes.
“Consultants and SAS doctors, some of the best-paid workers in the country, have seen their starting base salaries rise by nearly 28.5 percent over the past four years.
“We want to continue working with senior doctors to improve their working lives.
“We urge consultants and SAS doctors to view the BMA’s unreasonable and unnecessary proposal for industrial action as a distraction from our collective effort to rebuild our NHS and make it fit for the future.”
