England’s most senior hospital doctors plan to strike on 25 and 26 November after the Government failed to offer any meaningful commitment to solving the long-running dispute with the BMA over the value and sustainability of the consultant role.
Meanwhile, a ballot of consultants and SAS doctors in Scotland over working conditions and pay launches today.
Consultants in England have been in dispute with the Government since May 2025, having secured a mandate for industrial action in July this year. Over this period, BMA consultant leaders have been in talks with the Government but progress has been inadequate, with no formal negotiations.
The BMA’s consultants committee has been discussing with Government measures needed to reduce burnout and keep the most senior medical leaders working in the NHS, alongside addressing the 25% real-terms pay cuts experienced by consultants over the last 17 years.
These measures include:
• more protected time to focus on innovation, teaching future generations of clinicians and improving services for patients;
• a reduction in standard hours to bring consultants more in line with others in the NHS and public sector;
• better recognition for the most demanding out of hours work.
Surveys of consultants repeatedly highlight burnout and unsustainable workloads as widespread issues, and the BMA says action is needed to address this, or England will not be able to recruit or retain these expert clinicians.
Meanwhile, consultant pay in Ireland is as much as double that in England, threatening the NHS’s ability to keep them working here.
The Government last week indicated it was not taking the BMA’s concerns seriously, proposing to the DDRB – the review body that sets doctors’ pay - that it would only be willing to offer a 2.4% uplift for 2027/2028. This would be a significant real-terms pay cut by all current measures of inflation.
During the two strike days emergency cover will continue, similar to how hospitals are staffed on Christmas Day.
The BMA’s consultants committee says action can be avoided if the Health Secretary commits to adequately funded formal negotiations over consultant members’ asks on both pay and working conditions in order to solve the dispute.
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 frontline, 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.
“And as the much-lauded progress on waiting lists in England stalls, the Government is also telling consultants they deserve another pay cut.
“Since we entered into dispute over 18 months ago we have engaged in good faith with the Government, proposing practical solutions, but time-and-time again ministers have kicked the can down the road. Unfortunately, that road has now run out, and we have been forced to announce strikes.
“Consultants take their responsibilities incredibly seriously, and striking does not come naturally, but we are hearing loud and clear from the profession that they have had enough.
“Not only is our pay still a quarter down in real terms on what it was 17 years ago, having fallen more steeply than the rest of the economy, but we are also not being given time to dedicate our all to the NHS and patients, with quality and improvement being traded for the treadmill of target-chasing, driving colleagues to burnout through excessive workloads.
“The Government has four weeks to avoid any action taking place. We look forward to hearing from the Secretary of State on areas that we can work on together to prevent these strikes, end the dispute and restore the role of the consultant in the NHS so that patients can benefit from the best clinical leaders long into the future.”
Ends
Notes to editors
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.
1. The strike action is planned to occur between 06:59 on 25 November and 06:59 on 27 November, with formal notices to follow.
2. For Scotland media queries please email [email protected]
3. Find more about the England consultants’ campaign here.